Guardian of the Sword
by YukinaBlackLegs
Summary: The kitetsu sword. It has been said to be a dangerous weapon. No one has been able to wield it. Each one who has tried has met their fate. That is, until one day, a young man is able to conquer the swords curse and wield it. ZoroXOC and SanjiXOC, which will be much later
1. Chapter 1

Guardian of the Sword

One Piece Fanfic

The kitetsu sword. It has been said to be a dangerous weapon. No one has been able to wield it. Each one who has tried has met their fate. That is, until one day, a young man is able to conquer the swords curse and wield it. Why do I suck at summaries? You know what, going straight to the story.

Chapter 1-The Cursed Sword

He knew the minute that that sword came into his shop, he was done for. Not only because the dang thing cost him millions of dollars, but because of the stories and rumors he had heard about it. According to the people who shipped it to him, it was close to near impossible to even touch the sword. Each person who had tried lifting it from the ground ended up paralyzed and died seconds later. Then again, the men who tired lifting it were secretly robbers who were trying to get the sword in order to sell it to the black market, so the store man could care less for their fatality. But word soon spread about the incident and since then, the Kitetsu sword was dubbed the Cursed Sword. Nobody dared to enter his shop for fear that they will never come back out alive. And the store manager would have tried to get rid of it but he feared facing the same fate as the others. The monk that brought the sword was the only one able to bring it to him alive and he wasn't even hired to do the job! Apparently, the monk knew very well about the sword and its history. He told him that only the sword choose its owner and no one else could compel it otherwise . However, the store manager couldn't help but find that ridiculous and just paid the man, though it took 4 hours to get him to take the money. Nonetheless, business had continued to go so bad that even his wife had threatened him to sell the store or leave him. Personally, he preferred going down with the ship. Fortunately, today he probably be able to get some new faces into his store. Today was a very special day in LogueTown. It was the day when the famous pirate king, Captain Gol D. Roger, after acquiring all the earth's riches and more, was sent into the gallows, where he made his famous words that have forever be known throughout history. That day, he announced that his treasure, One Piece, was hidden in a secret place and whoever so dared to find it, would be made richest man in the world. Since then, pirates from all over the world had traveled near and far to acquire the treasure. No one had been able to acquire the treasure yet, but the story had provoked much tourism for the small island. Maybe the store manager could finally get a customer. However, just as he was rearranging the boxes of merchandise in his store, he caught a bright life emanating from the sword's blade. That caught him off guard, so much so that the box that he had been holding had landed straight down on his foot.

"Ouch!" cried out the man as he started to tend to his injured foot (sissy)

As he tended to his injuries (again, sissy), he began to wonder what could have made the sword light up like that. Now thinking about the sword, the store manager glared at the weapon, remembering that it was the cause of his pain.

"You stupid sword! Always causing so much trouble!" he yelled at the blade, who in return ignored the old man's ranting

"You have done nothing but made me miserable! Honestly, since you have been here, I have had enough white hairs to be mistaken for my great grandfather!" the store manager continued to ramble on as though he were scolding a child. He did not take any notice of the figure that had entered his shop.

"If I could change time when I was stupid enough to even think about purchasing a sword of such monstrosity as you, I would go back in time and slap myself! Honestly, you can—"

"Excuse me." Replied a deep voice. Caught off guard, the store manager couldn't help but jump at the foreign voice.

"Um, is this a bad time?, because I was wondering whether I can buy some swords here, I kind of need 'em."

Unbeknownst to the stranger who had just entered, the store manager was in a state of shock. Not just because he was caught yelling at a sword, as though it were a human being, but the fact that he had a customer! A real customer! And one that wanted to buy HIS SWORDS, no less!

"Oh yes, yes! of course!" replied the store manager once he got himself composed and decided that this was reality and not a dream. Looking over his customer, he noted that the stranger seemed quite tall, muscular too. He had three earrings clipped to his ear and strange green hair. _"Teens and their strange fashion trends. Honestly, the boy's mother must have burst into tears when she saw what her son did to himself. Seriously, where do you get green hair dye? And who would dye their hair green in the first place?"_ Then again, business was business, so he would overlook the stranger's odd taste in style. For now.

"Which one were you thinking of purchasing, sir?"

"Actually, I need two"

"Two?" asked the store manager as he looked at his customer questionably. It was then that he noticed that he had a sword; it was placed at his hip. He already had a sword. Why would he come in here if he already had one?

"Why would you need two, with that one included, you'd have three" asked the store manager as he continued to study the sword the man had placed at his hip."How can you fight with three swords? That's impossible" saying this, the stranger began to smirk. "Trust me, oji-san, it not as impossible as it seems" the stranger replied, an amusing voice hidden in his sentence. "I would like to buy two katanas for 100,000 beli" the stranger said after he pulled out his money. _"100 thousand beli? This guy must be either stupid or broke…" _

"100 thousand beli? With that much money, you can only get a lame sword and each of them costs 50,000 beli"

"Anything will do, I'm low on money right now"

"'_Anything will do', he says. With that much money, he can only get two lame swords" _just as the store manger was thinking this, the swords handle had caught his attention again. _"Is that!...No it can't be"_ . The katana the stranger had was the one and only, Wado Ichimonji! Realizing this, and the sword's value, the store manager tried to trick the stranger into giving him his sword by offering him 200,000 beli, in exchange for the sword. However, the stranger continued to refuse his offers.

"Listen, it doesn't matter what price you offer, I'm not giving you my sword"

"Oh, a business man! I know how to deal with your kind." The store manager answered, "Alright, 650,000 beli, that's my final offer!"

However, before he could get an answer, he was interrupted by a young woman who came into the store.

"Hello" replied the young woman "I came here to pick up Shigure, is he ready yet?" Suddenly, she turned to the stranger he had been trying to negotiate. Apparently, they knew one another. However, peering at the man's face, it appeared like he didn't want her to be there at all. After talking to him for a good few minutes, she got out her glasses and turned to the sword the store manager currently had in his hands.

"Is that Wadou Ichimonji?" asked the dark blue haired girl as she took Wadou out of the greedy store manager's hands. She got out a little book that seemed to have a description on many and different types of swords.

"_Damn it, if she tells him about its true value, I'm done for!" _

"Look at this!, this sword is worth more than 20 million beli!" the girl said contentedly. Turning to the stranger who came to his store first, she asked "How does a person like you have such a famous Meitou?"

"YOU! BE QUIET ALREADY! ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY BUSINESS!" yelled the impatient store manager. After giving (throwing) the girl's sword back, he directed the green haired stranger to where the 50 thousand beli swords were and told him to get his swords and leave.

"What's his problem?" the green haired man muttered to himself as he looked around the bins. While he was looking though, the girl with the dark blue haired stood around and continued talking to him. However, none of them were aware that at that moment, the sword, Kitetsu, was again glowing.

**This Aura. I have never sensed it before.**

The store manager began fuming away angry thoughts in his mind. _"Of all the people I end up having to give swords too! I hope that after this I never see them again!". _Looking up, his thoughts went dead at what his eyes saw. The green haired man finally pulled out a sword, however, his choice couldn't have been more wrong. In his hand was the Cursed Sword, Sandai Kitetsu!

"That sword is the Sandai Kitetsu!" ansered the blue haired woman "It's an amazing sword! It's predecessor is the Nidai Kitetsu, which was one of the Oowaza-mono. And Shodai Kitetsu was one of the Saijou Owaza-mono! You are truly fortunate to find it!" filled with excitement, the bluenette turned back to the store manager "Are you truly selling such an amazing sword for only 50 thousand beli?"

"_Out of all the swords…out of all the swords…"_

"Actually…"

"I knew it! Such a sword as valuable as this can't be worth 50 thousa-"

"YOU CAN'T BUY THAT SWORD!" replied the store manager panickly

"What? Why can't he?"

Before he could answer, the stranger beat him to it.

"It's a cursed sword."

"_What the? How-" _but filled with so much panic and astonishment, the store manager finished his sentence out loud. "How did you know?"

"I didn't, I can just sense it" answered the stranger, never taking his eyes of the blade he held in his hand

"Sandai Kitetsu is said to be an excellent sword," the store manager admitted "However, the curse that lives in the sword has prevented many from wielding it. Each one met their fate with the hands of death. I'd of gotten rid of that sword,…if I weren't too scared to have the curse affect me"

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have interfered!" answered the bluenette as she bowed her head down in a form of apology. Yet after being warned of the curse, the green-haired man had never let go of the sword. In fact, he didn't seem like he was going to leave it.

**This man seems different from the others. I wonder, could he be the one I was waiting on?**

Lifting the sword in the air, the green haired man looked the sword over with interest.

"I like it, I'm going to take this one!" the stranger announced

His decision left everyone speechless. Why would someone purchase a dangerous sword, and a cursed one no less!

"You idiot! You can't buy that sword! If you were to die, it would be as if I killed you!" yelled the old man, only to get wacked in the head by his wife.

"_You're_ the idiot around here! Sell the sword already! It's not like you'll be losing much anyways…" his wife answered, knowing very well that they had little gain from her husband's service. What did it matter to her if the sword the man bought ultimately killed him when they had piles and piles of debts yet to pay?

"How about this," replied the stranger "My luck….against this sword's curse. Let's see which is stronger?" Before the store manager could ask what the stranger was thinking, he had already threw the sword in the air, his left arm completely stretched out and exposed to the deadly sword's blade.

"You can't! You'll lose your arm!" yelled the old man, trying to warn the stranger, but it was already too late. The blue haired woman was also left in panic as she watched the sword dance in the air. Yet in their panic, they failed to notice the immense aura radiating through the two beings, the stranger's and that of the sword's.

**Hmm…a test he wants. He is quite the risky type. Then again, I am just as curious as he is. Let's see if you are the one worthy of wielding my blade, Ne?**

For everyone around in the store, it felt as if time had slowed down as the sword began to lower itself closer and closer to the man's arm. And just as the sword's blade came face to face with the man's arm, the sword turned its position, making the dangerous blade turn the other direction and avoiding the man's arm completely, only to land on the floor near his feet.

"I'll take it" stated the stranger, a confidant smirk gracing his lips as he faced the near-shock driven bluenette and store manager. _"A-amazing! No one has ever been able to overcome the swords curse besides that monk! This guy…he's no ordinary human. There is something unique about him…"_

"Hey, help me find another sword" the stranger said, addressing to the bluenette girl, who was still too filled with shock and could only answer him with a curt nod.

"Wait! Hold on a second" replied the old man as he ran to an office behind his store. Coming back, he pulled out a black katana.

"The sheath is a black-lacquered long inlay." Taking the blade from its sheath, he lifted the katana up in the air "It's blade is an unraveled edge with a small 'T'. It is one of the Ryou-Waza-mono 50. The Yubashiri!"

"This may not be a big store," the store manager said, now facing his two customers "but it's the best katana I have yet."

"I can't buy it. I told you already, I don't have that kind of money on me" replied the stranger

"I don't want money for it, nor for the Kitetsu," answered the store manager "It has been a long time since I have seen a true swordsman. They say that 'a katana chooses its master'. I never believed that statement until now. I pray you have good fortune" He said as he handed the sword to the green-haired man "Sorry for trying to rip you off earlier"

Smiling, the stranger accepted the man's gift

"Arigatou, I will make sure to give these swords the honor they deserve." The green-haired swordsman replied as he placed the three swords around his hamaraki, leaving the store with the money he had thought he was going to spend.

"I can't believe you gave away a family herimloom like that…"the store manager's wife asked him teasingly

"Silence woman, what is wrong with a man giving his dreams up to another man!" replied the old man. After all, it wasn't every day when you meet a person who could overcome a cursed sword as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Why not place his broken dreams on a man like that?

"Hai, Hai, now then…" the woman replied as she took out a heavy object "take out the trash!"

"Y-yes mam!"

…

Zoro couldn't help but feel content. He finally had got his swords and, best of all, he didn't have to pay a dime!

"Man, it feels good to have three swords again!" Zoro replied blissfully as he walked through the towns streets. Then again, he wasn't the only one that was estatic. The spirit of that inhabited the sword coulnd't help but feel content at knowing that she had finally left that store. Now, her adventure could truly begin and she could find out what her true calling was.

**I don't know much about this person, but I can tell there is something interesting about him. **

As she thought this, she felt the man lightly grasp the swords handle.

"Sandai Kitetsu," he whispered to it "Guess I'm your new owner now. Name's Zoro by the way." Zoro answered it, a small smile placed on his face "Well then, I don't know much about you, but I can tell that you're a strong sword. With your strength and Yubashiri's help, along with Kuina's spirit, I will become world's greatest swordsmand. Count on it"

As Zoro continued to walk through the streets, the spirit of the sword let all the words Zoro had said sink in.

**Zoro, huh? Well then, though I'm not sure what awaits me now, I do know that things will get interesting from here on out….ne? Goshujinsama….**

Hope you guys liked the story. I got the idea when I first saw the episode. The tale of the curse made me think so much of Yu Gi Oh and I decided to incorporate the idea of a being living inside the sword from there. I'm sorry that I paraphrased so much of this seen from the actual episode but I wasn't sure of the sword terms and stuff. The next episodes will be more original, hopefully. And I hope to introduce SanjixOC soon in the next three chapters. Till then, bye! :D


	2. Chapter 2

The following is a fanfic parody. I do not own One Piece, they belong to their respected characters, however, the guardian in this fic is my character so I do own her :D Please support the official release

Chapter 2- Partners  
"Damn it, where did those guys move the ship!" Zoro muttered to himself as he stared at the sea. He decided that since he was done getting everything he needed, that he would go on the ship and take a nap. However, (as always) Zoro couldn't find his way to the ship.  
"When I find Usopp, I'm gonna punch his stupid, long nose.!"

_Meanwhile….__  
__"Usopp, what's the matter?"__  
__"I don't know why Nami, but I think someone is talking about...and I have a bad feeling that I won't like whatever they have planned…" _

Deciding there was no point in looking for a ship that his friends were just gonna move again anyway (Yeah right), Zoro decided to continue looking through the town. However, before he could take another step, his sword, Sandai Kitetsu, started to feel heavy.

"Wh-What?!" Zoro yelled as the sword caused him to sink to his knees. He tried to get up again but the sword's weight wouldn't let him.

"The heck is going on with this sword?!" Zoro screamed in frustration as he removed the sword that was tied around his hamaraki. Immediately the weight lifted off him and he was finally able to stand. Turning back to the sword, he wondered what had happened. Just a moment ago, he was able to handle it without breaking a sweat. Why was it so heavy now?

Putting his hand on the sword's handle, he tried to lift it, only to find that he couldn't lift it at all. It was like trying to move a building!

"Sandai isn't letting you pick her up, is she?" replied a foreign voice

"WHERE THE HECK DID YOU COME FROM!" Zoro questioned as he turned to the person who had just appeared. The man appeared to be about 50 to 60 years old. He had no hair, minus his long white beard. In one hand, he had a wooden walking stick and in the other, he had a small red smoking pipe. Lifting the pipe to his mouth, he took a long blow into his pipe, making several bubbles come out of it, before speaking again.

"Sandai kitetsu is known for its inhumane curse. It is said that very few can touch the sword and live to tell about it. You are very lucky to know that it has chosen you, otherwise, my friend; you would have ended up dead like the others."

"How do you know about the Kitetsu sword?" Zoro asked the elderly man "And who are you?"

"Opps, forgive my manners, my name is Kiroshi and I am one just a friendly old man who is a fanatic about swords, especially swords like these"

"Great, so if you know so much about this sword, THEN TELL ME WHY IT WON'T LET ME PICK IT UP!" asked Zoro angrily as he continued to try lift the sword

"Kitetsu must be testing you"

"Testing me?"

"You see, as I have said, not many have been able to even wield this sword. Many of the people who have tried to use its powers were men seeking greed or power to rule and conquer the world. Only a person of a noble heart and cause can be allowed to wield its strength. And I believe that Kitetsu wants to see what kind of person you really are." Answered the old man. "You have already won its favor because it allows you to wield it, now you must prove that you are worthy of learning its secrets and that you have the strength Kitetsu needs in its owner"

So Kitesu wanted to see if he was strong enough huh? "Heh…Is that all?" Zoro asked with a smirk "Then fine, I can take anything this sword can dish out"

"To accept Kitetsu's challenge, you need to be in absolute peace, meditation is best way to do"

Nodding his head in agreement, Zoro sat down cross legged in front of the sword, breathing in and out calmly, relaxing his muscles and putting his attention on everything around.

"Now, you must channel your energy into the sword, from there on, you can begin your test"

"Alright then" Zoro answered before he focused on the sword. When all his senses were focused on his target, Zoro was able to channel his energy into the sword. When he did, he felt an enormous energy emitting from the sword. It was so strong that it almost blew him away.

"_This energy in incredible…I can't believe that so much strength can be sealed away in this one sword!"_

Suddenly, Zoro felt like completely weird, as if he were just transported to a whole new earth. He no longer felt the grass that was tickling his legs, nor did he feel the breeze flowing from the wind.

"Open your eyes, Roronoa" replied a voice. However, unlike the old man's rough voice, this one sounded feminem.

Opening his eyes, Zoro was a bit startled at was he saw. For one thing, he was definitely NOT in LogueTown! The place he was in felt like he was in the bottom of an abyss. The light that brightened the room didn't have a distinctive source and the air in the room was stale.

"Welcome to my Soul Room" replied the voice as a figure appeared from the shadows. And just as he had guessed, the figure was indeed female! She appeared to be young, not an age over 20. She wore an Egyptian white dress that reached up to her knees and she wore gold sandals and a gold bracelet on her left arm. She had amber eyes and black hair that cascaded down her shoulders.

"Your Kitetsu?" Zoro questioned the girl

Smiling, the girl answered "I am and at the same time, I'm not."

"What does that suppose to mean?" Zoro asked, his face showing annoyance

"I do not know much about my past…., nor the swords origin at that, I just know that my goal is to protect this sword and keep it from the hands of evil and wicked men. Somewhat like a guardian."

"So that's why you're challenging me, to know that I'm nothing like those guys" Zoro said, more stating the fact rather than asking

"Correct. I will admit, I feel that I can already trust you, Goshujin-sama. However, I must see whether you are truly worthy of this sword. If I have to fight alongside and follow whatever path my master takes on, I would like to know that I can trust them compeletly…" replied the girl "That is the reason for this test."

"So all I have to do is pass your test, sounds simple enough" Zoro answered "So what do I have to do?"

Amused by the man's question, the girl answered, "Well simple, goshujin-sama, you are to defeat me…" And all of a sudden, a round, red little ball appeared in the air and fell on her hand. "You are to take this red ball from my hand. You may use your swords if you , if you don't defeat me in 30 minutes, the game will end and you shall suffer the penalty."

"_The rules sound simple enough. The game doesn't seem that hard either…"_ Zoro thought as he reviewed the rules of the game. However, he couldn't help but feel that something strange about this girl, and that she was indeed hiding something; she too confident for comfort. But what?

"_Well, there's only one way to find out…" _

"Alright then, I accept" Zoro answered as he took the bandana from his arm and wrapped it around his head, his stance showing that he was ready for battle.

"You may begin when you're ready." Answered the guardian as she held out the hand that possessed the red ball.

Taking both Wado and Yubashiri in his hands, he rushed in for an attack. Zoro tried to get her to get her off her balance by using the blast from his swords, but the girl dodged it, ball still firmly in her hand. Zoro tried different techniques (that wouldn't hurt the girl) to try to get her off balance, but she continued dodging them and dodging them again.

"_Damn it, none of my attacks are working!" _Zoro thought as he tried to calm down, his breath panting as sweat rolled down his face. _"There are only10 minutes left in the game…if I don't find a way to get that ball, I'm a gonner"_

Going in for another attack, Zoro used his **Two Sword Style: Dance of the Deadly Cobra**. The attack from the swords' wave was meant to give the enemy several cuts and knock the wind out of them. But when he turned around, Zoro was shocked by what he saw. The girl was standing completely still without a single scratch or cut.

"What the…."

"Surprised Roronoa-san?" asked the guardian, pleased by Zoro's state of shock.

"How-how did you?—"

"How did I survive your sword's attacks?" the girl replied, finishing the sentence for him "It is simple, I am the part of this sword and a part of it is a part of me. My body is able to deflect the swords and other weapons because my body responds to their attacks as if it were a sword. You can say that my body is something of an armor"

"Wait! So that means…!"

"I cannot be defeated by your swords." Stated the guardian

"_Sa! This makes things a whole lot better! How can a beat a girl whose body acts like a sword?"_ Things were starting to look from bad to worse. It was already hard to try to knock down the girl with just the swords energy, now he can't even use his attacks against her because they would just get deflected.

"_So much for becoming the world's greatest swordsman…"_ Zoro thought as he, remembering well of the penalty that awaited him. What was worse than that was that he wasn't going to be able to complete his promise to Kuina._"I'm sorry Kuina…I let you down…" _

"**GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF!" **a mysterious voice erupted from his mind

"_Wha-What the?..."_

"**Are you honestly just going to give up just like that? Why did you bother making that promise to me if you were going to let yourself get defeated so easily?"**

"_Ku-Kuina?!"_There was no mistake in that voice, it was definetly Kuina

"**Who else do you think it is? Seriously Zoro, I can take you as being weak, but never would I have taken you for a quitter!"**

"_Kuina, look! There is nothing that I can do! None of my attacks work on her and to top it all off, there are only 6 minutes left in the game!"_

"**Who cares? Zoro, you should know that in the face of danger, you should never give up"**

"_I know that! But what else can I-"_

"**For one thing, be quiet so that I can finish! Listen Zoro, you have the strength to win, but you have show trust."**

"_Trust?"_

"**In Wado and in Yubashiri. They both have the strength to help you defeat her, but you have to believe in them! Do you?"**

"_Yes, yes I do!"_

"**Good! Now go out there and win! Failure isn't an option!" **

"_Thank you Kuina, I won't let you down again" _and with that, Zoro was able to get back in the game. Spreading his legs apart, he brought both of his swords up, making them form an X. This action confused the girl. _**"What could he be planning?"**_ the guardian asked herself as she stared at the man's strange stance.

"Two Sword Style."

The girl braced herself as the man launched himself into action.

"Tatsumaki! (Tornado)" and with that, Zoro's body began to twist and turn as the force of his attack sent the whole room shaking. After a while, the young guardian couldn't keep her balance and she immediately went flying, the ball falling from her hand.

"_What power! I don't remember felling such strenght in all my life!"_the young guardian thought as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Hey." A deep voice responded. Opening her eyes, she saw the green haired swordsman, and in his hand was the ball. _"He did it."_

"You passed the test, and with a minute to spare, might I add"

"Wasn't easy though, you put one heck of a fight!"

Smiling at the compliment, she answered "So were you", happy to see the man return the smile back.

"So…" Zoro began "What should I call you? I don't want to refer to you as 'you' or 'spirit' if you have a name"

Frowning, the girl replied "I do not have a name, all my life I was referred to as the 'Spirit of the Cursed Sword'; I have no memory of what my name is…"

"Hmm…" Zoro hummed in thought. "What about 'Hikari'?"

"'Hikari'?" asked the girl "That is quite a contrasting name, seeing as I am 'darkness' to those who try to even lay a finger on me…"

"No, I think it fits. During the time we were fighting, I noticed that your body would give off a bright aura. Not to mention your eyes are the same color of the Kerria flowers…"

Never receiving a compliment before, even a light one like that, the girl flushed at the comment.

"Al-alright then…" replied the girl as she tried to cough off her nervous voice "I guess I have a new name now, thank you Roronoa-san"

"And stop calling me that! And that 'Goshujin-sama' crap! Just call me 'Zoro'!" answered Zoro, annoyed at the sur names the girl had been giving him

"Hahaha…Alright then Roro-I mean Zoro. I won't call you by those titles again." The newly named guardian answered.

"Partners?" Hikari asked as she held out her hand. Smirking, Zoro took the hand and shook it.

"Parners"

Okay, I am finally done. By the way, if you guys didn't get the conversation when Zoro was explaining why he named the girl 'Hikari', it's because Hikari means 'Light' and 'flower'. The flower that was mentioned is a yellow colored flower (it was the closest flower that I could find to the color amber). Well, I'm gonna end things for now. I will try to update by Sunday. Till then. Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Phew, I finally got time to update. And with that, let's start the next chapter

Chapter 3: Enter the mysterious woman, Madame Rouge!

After having passed the test, and becoming partners with the Spirit that inhabited the Kitetsu sword, Zoro had decided that it was best to head out and locate the missing ship again. However, they were having difficulty getting around town…

**This…this is truly unbelievable…**

They had passed 'Gregori's Home-Style Bakery' up to ten times now! And yet, the wandering swordsman continued to lead them in circles, never stopping to ask for directions or admitting that he was lost! Each time he realized that he came back to the familiar building, Hikari would always hear him silently curse or mutter something that sounded like "damn moving buildings". In any case, they were getting nowhere, and Hikari would have told him so but she didn't know how to tell the swordsman nicely that he was lost. After all, she was just getting to know her new master…, um partner. Either way, she didn't want to get on the wrong foot with him and make him angry. But then again, what choice did she have left? After all, Zoro was so much like a rebellious child, no matter how many times you try to make him do something your way (also known as the right way), he'd just do the opposite. Opposite…

**Hmm…I wonder if it'll work**

They were coming up to the "Hai Ho Restrant", where Zoro would repeatively turn left and lead them back to the bakery. Now was her time to get to work, if not, she would have to hold the urge to pull her hair out!

"_Zoro, take a left right here"_

"Since when did you become the leader?" Zoro asked frustratingly at the command

"_Turn left"_

"ARE YOU TRYING TO ANNOY ME?!"

"_Just be quiet and do as I say, silly boy."_

"And why should I do that?"

"_Because I'm smarter than you, and stronger too. So I suggest you do as I say unless you want to make a fool out of yourself out here…"_

The last comment really struck a nerve with Zoro. His teeth were clenched, his hands formed into fists as his shoulders began to shake violently from sheer anger. He looked like he was about to explode! Hikari was a bit worried if her plan failed until she saw the swordsman go right. She couldn't help but smirk as the green haired man muttered curses and called her a "demandive witch".

**This trick might actually work…**

Meanwhile….

"Comander Smoker, Sir!"

"What is it, lieutenant?"

"I saw ships, sir! Pirate ships!"

"Are you sure lieutenant?"

"Yes sir, I believe they were near the north harbor, sir!"

Now, Smoker wasn't too surprised to hear news about pirates in wasn't a rarity to see a pirate ship in LogueTown, it was just weird when several pirate ships decided to appear in the town that wasn't only the hometown of Roger, the once Pirate King, but of the White Hunter; Smoker. After all, everybody had heard of Smoker's reputation of catching pirates. It was said that he had once took down 5 pirate ships, single handedly. So why would the very people he hunted down decide to land on the island that was his Marine Base?

"Pirate Ships, huh?" asked Smoker, the smoke from his cigarettes floating in the air

"Yes sir, we already alerted several our men and told them to be on the watch for pirates" replied the lieutenant

"Good," answered Smoker "Tell them to keep watch, we musn't let them escape"

"Commander Smoker!" replied another Marine as he entered the White Hunter's office

"What's all the commotion?"  
"There's a person here sir, they say that they are here to see you"

Who could the person be? He hadn't called anyone to meet him, and he was sure that no Marine Officer was here to check up on them. Could it be…?

"Send them in"

"Yes sir" answered the man, but before he made it to the door, someone had already opened it. The person was wearing a dark robe that covered the figure completely, save their face. The room was completely silent as the figure walked in, the only noise was that of the figure's boots as they approached Smoker's desk. It was then that the marine men finally spoke.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to be here! If you want to see the commander, you'll have to wait until you are called on like everyone else!"

The figure gave a disgusted face at the marine's direction."_Marines…they become more like obedient dogs day by day"_ thought the figure as they rolled their eyes at the marine that spoke up

"I am sorry, but I am a busy person. I don't wait on people, they wait on me" replied the figure in an oh-so-high-and-mighty voice

"Why you-!"

"You may leave now, soldier" this time, it was Smoker who had spoken

"Commander?" questioned the Lieutenant

"Leave. NOW, both of you! I'll handle our…guest. Meanwhile, you two better be on the lookout for those pirates. I expect to see them all in handcuffs by the end of the day"

"Sir, yes, sir!" answered the Marine men. Knowing that it was best not to argue with their commander, they both turned around to leave the room.

"Hmm…" hummed the figure before speaking "You train them so well, what do you give them when they catch a pirate? Some nice dog biscuits or a nice, tasty bone, perhaps?"

"I would like you to cut it out with the sarcasm, Madame Rouge" answered Smoker as the room began to be filled with smoke.

Removing the hood of her robe over her head, the figure's face was revealed. She had beautiful, porcelain skin that made her seem too fragile to touch, yet her eyes, a cold and unfeeling dark violet, made her appear as deadly as a poisonous cobra. Her silky, dark brown hair flowed down her shoulder and behind the mid of her back.

"Now where's the fun in that?" answered Madame Rouge in a teasing voice

"I'm not in the mood for it today, so either you tell me what you need to say or get your face out of my office before I throw you out"

To this, Madame Rouge fained a hurt look, her kissable red lips turned into a pout "No fair, Smoker. After all, I only came to you to give you some assistance"

"Assistance with what?" asked Smoker

"With your pirate problem, dear Smoker" answered Madame Rouge, her coy smile graced her lips

"Oh really?" Smoker asked, only half interested "And how do you plan on 'assisting' me?"

Like a Cheshire cat, all that was visible on Madame Rouge's face was her smile

"Simple" she answered before pointing a finger outside, towards the balcony "Go over and see for yourself…"

Smoker had no idea whether he should believe the girl or not, however, how could he know for sure if she was telling the truth if he didn't go and take a look? Getting up from his chair, Smoker walked in the direction Madame Rouge pointed towards earlier. Having reached the balcony, Smoker placed both hands on the railing before looking down. Looking down towards the ground, Smoker was more than surprised by what he saw. Below were several pirates, bound and gagged. Each of them were piled together with their own pirate crew, their jolly roger, ripped and soiled, was tied to a rusty pipe or an old branch that was held by a figure in black trench coats, combat boots and black hats.

"_The Black Organization…" _thought Smoker as he identified the figures in black. The Black Organization, AKA B.O., was pretty much the underground people that worked for the marines. They didn't side with anyone; they just did whatever was needed to get some cash in their pockets. Smoker never associated with scum like them and preferred keeping his distance from them as much as possible. But right now, they were at his base, bringing their hostage pirates before him as though they were bearing gifts.

"Do you like what you see?" asked Madame Rouge as she watched the change of expression on Smoker's face

"How did you-?"

"It was easy really" replied Madame Rouge "They were nothing but a bunch of low class pirates, it was no effort at all"

Smoker only nodded in response before taking the cigarettes out of his mouth

"So I'm guessing these are all of them?" asked Smoker

"Hmmm…not all of them" answered Madame Rouge, "There's one pirate that still here in LogueTown that I haven't caught yet"

"Why haven't you caught him yet? Is he stronger than you?" asked Smoker

"I wouldn't say stronger than me," Answered Madame Rouge "But I will admit, he is strong. He took down Arlong and his crew and even defeated Don Kriege. Here, take a look for yourself" as she said this, she handed Smoker the pirate's bounty paper. Looking at the picture, Smoker didn't think much of him. The pirate didn't look intimidating. In fact, he just appeared to be a regular boy with his wide smile and a straw hat. The name wasn't intimidating either. The top of the paper read 'Monkey D. Luffy' .However; the boy seemed to have a large bounty. 30 million beli!

"This is the guy your after?" asked Smoker as he placed the bounty on his desk "He doesn't seem so tough to me, if anything, he seems pretty weak. How could he have taken down Don Kreige, let along Arlong?"

"Looks can be deceiving, Smoker" answered Madame Rouge "Plus, the facts aren't false. I researched and even went to the place Arlong had taken control. Which the Marines had no idea of or sent any assistance." Added Madame Rouge with venom in her voice.

Smoker understood her anger for that. Though Madame Rouge was a cocky, annoying girl, she too suffered a terrible past which could have been solved if someone had come to help. However, it didn't convince him that this boy was anything special.

"I get your point, Madame Rouge" replied Smoker "But still, this kid can't possibly be any different from any other pirate. He'll just be another dream-chasing boy who is way in too over his head and will face reality one day or another"

"Maybe so" said Madame Rouge thoughtfully "But that is something I want to find out on my own."

Before Smoker could ask her what she meant by that, the door had suddenly opened.

"Smoker-sama!" replied a feminem voice. It was none other than Tashigi

"What is it, Tashigi?" asked Smoker

"Is it true? Are there pirates in LogueTown?" asked Tashigi, excitement obvious in her voice.

"Somewhat. Most of the pirates were caught by Madame Rouge right now" answered Smoker.

"Madame Rouge?" asked Tashigi with a confused look. It was then that Tashigi noticed the female that was behind her.

"I'm sorry Ma'am!" said Tashigi as she bowed down in respect.

"Greetings, young lady" answered Madame Rouge in a much more polite voice than one would usually hear from her.

"Greetings" Tashigi answered back. "Is it true? Did you really take down all those pirates?"

"See for yourself, ojou-san" answered Madame Rouge as she directed the girl towards the balcony

"Oh wow!" Tashigi answered as she saw all the pirates that had been captured by Madame Rouge

"Tashigi, send some of our men to lock up these pirates" Smoker said to the swordswoman

"Yes sir!" replied Tashigi as she rushed to the door, however, not before she payed her respects to Madame Rouge as she went out.

"I'm guessing you're going to be busy today" answered Madame Rouge "I shall now show myself to the door" and with that, she headed towards the door

"Wait." Said Smoker as her hand made contact with the door knob

"What is it Smoker? Have you gotten fond of me?"

"Why are you going after that pirate?" asked Smoker. He needed to know. Madame Rouge wouldn't set her sights on some low class level pirate if he wasn't worth the time or effort. What could her motives behind this?

Knowing what Smoker was thinking, Madame Rouge answered

"That's for me to know, Smoker. However, I will give you fair warning" she said as she opened the door

"That pirate is mine. If you or any other marine tries to get in my way, you will regret it" answered Madame Rouge as she exited the door

"Ciao"

Back to….

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!" yelled a rather unhappy green-haired swordsman as he was, yet again, being directed by the Guardian of the Kitetsu. As for Hikari, she could cry out tears of pure laughter. The swordsman was hilarious! She couldn't tell what was funnier, Zoro's terrible sense of direction, his furious face each time she tricked him to go to the right direction, or the faces of the nearby citizens as they watched Zoro yell at an invisible being. She thought that she was going to die of laughter when Zoro turned towards the curious folks and told them to mind their own business if they knew what was good for them. By now, the whole town knew not to mess with the directionally challenged swordsman, lest they want to suffer the consequences for doing so.

"_Really now, you don't seem to be convincing me."_ Answered Hikari when she finally able to catch her breath.

"You're enjoying this more than you should be"

"_Me? No, I would never"_ Hikari tired to answer in an innocent voice.

"Damn woman" Zoro muttered, knowing full well that the girl's actions were nothing near innocent. However, before the discussion could go any further, a familiar figure made their way towards them.

"Zoro!" replied a hyped up teenage boy

"Luffy, what are you doing?" asked Zoro

"Well" Luffy said before puffing out his chest "I'm lost"

"_That's not something to be proud of"_ thought Zoro in his mind as he sweatdropped at his captain's answer

"Hmm…I can see…" Zoro answered

"Hey Zoro! Guess what! I found the execution site!" answered the straw hat boy

"Really? When?"

"I found it after I talked this old man. Get this, he KNEW Gol Roger! He said that…"

Zoro couldn't help but smile at his rather excited captain as he explained his little adventure to him. Luffy just had the ability to make anyone happy whenever he put that bright smile on his face. Watching the first mate and captain walk together, Hikari too couldn't help but smile at the site. They seemed so much like a family. It made her feel rather happy, she couldn't help but feel melancholy because she feels that she could relate to this moment, yet she couldn't remember the memory clearly.

**Then again, it is possible that as I travel with Zoro and his crew, I might be able to learn more about my past…who I was and why my spirit inhabits this sword.**

Meanwhile, in another part of town…

"So many beautiful ladies~!" cried out Sanji as he looked through the crowds. Sanji kind of felt like he hit the all-blue then and there; there were so many beauties within his grasp! And yet…

"However, though these women are the most beautiful creatures my eyes have ever laid upon!~, I still haven't been able to find that one—" Sanji cut himself short as something caught his eye. The figure in front of porcelain skin with a wonderful figure. Her dark brown hair flowed down and reached down her back. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a long sleeved, leather brown jacket. She wore a black skirt that had three gold buttons to the right side of the skirt and she wore black boots. But what caught him off guard the most was her eyes. They looked so mysterious, yet dangerous at the same time.

"Ah! I think I'm in love~!" replied Sanji, hearts adorned on his eyes

"Hmm?..." replied the woman when she heard the outburst. She was currently reading a book near a small café when she looked up to see the blond chef.

"May I help me?" the woman asked him

"No, my dear" Sanji answered "However, you could assist me with something"

As he said this, Sanji got down on one leg before presenting the young lady with a white rose. However, the action left the lady confused.

"What is this for?" asked the woman as she gave Sanji a questioned look

"For you, my love~!" answered Sanji, the hearts in his eyes returning

"For me?"

"Of course, lovely~!" he answered "It will do me a great honor if I could spend the rest of this day by your side, beautiful~"

Still confused, yet a bit amused at Sanji's actions, did the girl finally accept his flower

"That so huh?" replied the lady as she twired the flower in her hand.

"Of course, your beauty can light even the night sky !"

"_This guy is nothing but a love sick puppy"_ thought the woman as she observed Sanji. He seemed respectful enough though, so she didn't bite his head off for his actions. However, before she could respond to his statement, another part of her decided to. The woman couldn't help but blush 5 shades of red as she realized that her stomach had just rumbled, and in front of this guy! However, for Sanji, he couldn't help but find the sight adorable.

"Umm…Sorry about that…"

"It's alright, though it seems that you are quite hungry right now, ojou-san"

"No, I'm quite alright. I'll go ahead and get something to eat later…" However, before she could protest, she was suddenly picked up, bridelstyle, in the strange man's arms.

"Wh-What the? LET GO OF ME!" yelled the violet eyed beauty as she tried to get out of the arms that held her captive

"Forgive me ojou-san, but my policy is to never leave a person going hungry, so, if you will allow me, I wish to take you to my kitchen. I am a chef so I know the best recipes and foods to make." Sanji answered the startled woman.

The lady in question, however, couldn't help but glare at him. After all, she just barely meet the guy and he decides to take her to a strange place, be it a kitchen or not, just because she was hungry. Then again, why depreciate good food?

"Alright then, but take it better be worth it" answered the lady

"Don't worry, beautiful, I will make you the best lunch you've had in your life!~" Sanji replied as he began to take the woman to the straw hat ship.

"Hn. It better be" she answered before settling down in Sanji's arms

"By the way, the name is Sanji Blacklegs, best chef of the east blue, what is yours, lovely ojou-san?~"

The woman smiled at the question "It's Lucia. Lucia Lamperouge"

Aaaand….Done

I finally was able to introduce my SanjiXOC character paring. I so enjoyed creating her. I don't know why, but I really enjoy making my females somewhat evil and sarcastic. Then again, I did base Lucia/Madame Rouge on Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass). Hikari is more like something between Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan) and Gohan, in that she is very conning and strong, yet she refuses to take life, even if the person is bad. However, since she has a curse, she has no decision in who lives or dies. She can only make the decision of whether they are worthy of the sword or not. Though, I am making a fic, that I hope to update soon, that shows that persona much more. By the way, the whole reverse physiology thing I did with Hikari and Zoro was something I wanted to do for a while now. I always imagined the pairing in my head and how Hikari would deal with Zoro whenever he got lost. I'd imagine her either being patient with him and secretly helping him get to where they need to go, or just trick him mentally! :D This was a fun chapter by the way, anywho, I gotta go, I hope to update by Thanksgiving day, till then, bye!


	4. Chapter 4

***Special News***

Hey Guys, just got something interesting I want to say. Don't worry, the real chapter is on the Chapter 5.

I want to work a special assignment for winter and I would like a partner to work with. It is completely voluntary. Just something interesting I thought would be fun to do. I plan to make it a story based on two anime universes (Cross over, if you will). I'm siding with making one on DBZ and One Piece, (cause they are so similar and One Piece is obviously based off it), but I'm open to ideas. Actually, that is the point in the assignment. To tackle something new and enjoyable for other fanfic writers.

Ideas are welcome

Generbending is okay (I'm definetly siding on doing that too)

Parings allowed, though I only do het parings (girlxboy)

Original characters? Go on ahead! (I know I will :P)

The idea is that there is a threat (villan) to both the anime universes and they have to join together to stop it.

If anyone so chooses to tackle this assignment with me, please send me a private message.

I also have a gmail and face book page that you can contact me with

Gmail: yukinablacklegs1225

Facebook: .

Thanks for the reviews ! You may proceed to reading the next chapter :D


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: One piece nor its characters belong to me. They belong to their respected owners. Lucia/Madame Rouge and Hikari, yeah they are mine :D

Chapter 4- Storm's a coming

"…_This is nothing I would have expected…"_ thought the young woman as she stared at the place where the cook, Sanji, had taken her. When he said that he was a chef, she predicted that he would take her to his restaurant, or even his home. She never expected him to take her to a ship. However, she didn't question the man as he led her towards the ship's kitchen, the Gallery. She obediently followed him, silently observing the ship. It didn't appear to be a ship meant for many people, so it was certainly not meant to catter hungry customers, like a restaurant in the sea. And it didn't appear to be a ship used to riel in marine animals. No, this ship wasn't any of these things, but it did serve a purpose, that much she was sure of. It was then, as she was about to enter the Gallery, when she noticed a flag. She tried to identify the image on the flag, but the wind prevented her from doing so. What could the hidden image be?

"Is there anything particular you may want, milady~?" Sanji asked the young woman, interrupting her thoughts completely. Trying to find out what was on the black flag, she had forgotten the reason she came here to begin with. Smiling fondly at the young man, she lightly shrugged her shoulders.

"I have nothing particularly in mind. Though I'm sure whatever you make will be just fine"

"You're so sweet, Lucia-swan!~" Sanji replied before preparing the meal.

"The meal won't take long, though you can sit here if you want until it's down" Sanji informed the brunette as he rolled up his sleeves so he can properly wash his hands. After all, a chef must keep his kitchen as well as his food sanitary, right?

Nodding her head, Lucia proceeded to take her seat. She had no problem with waiting on the meal; she wasn't one to get impatient for things like that.

"So , does this ship belong to you?" Lucia asked

"No, not really, I was invited into the group not that long ago…" Sanji answered, before bringing a hand to his chin in thought "Now that I think about, none of them have returned yet…I guess they're all still having fun looking around the island"

"How many people are in this…'group'?" asked Lucia

"Well, including myself, were all five" replied Sanji "We were brought together by our captain. He is a bit a moron, but he's a nice guy. He's helped all of us in one way or another and it's because of him that we continue to have hope; because all of us have our own crazy dream that we want to pursue"

The more Sanji described his 'captain', the more of a kind, noble person Lucia imagined him to be. He seemed to care a lot about the people he took into his ship and they all seemed to share a lot of respect for him.

"What is your dream then, Sanji?" asked Lucia, remembering that Sanji mentioned about the crew each having their own goals

"My dream is to find All Blue…"

"All Blue?"

"You never heard of it?"

"Not really, no. What is it?"

"It's the most amazing thing in the whole world!" replied Sanji "In it, fish from all over- East Blue, West Blue, North Blue and South Blue, can be found there! It's a cook's dream! You can get any ingredient in the world in that sea!"

As Sanji described the All Blue, Lucia was surprised to see the change in demeanor in the young man. Rather than seeing the weird heart shaped eyes and strange movement in his body whenever he was flirting, what she saw in him was a side she never seen in any man before. His blue eye, that wasn't covered by the curtain of his blond hair, gleamed with excitement. His hands would move excitedly as described the different fish that were said to be in the All Blue, his smile never escaping his face. He looked a lot like a little kid, exited to receive his presents, always surprised by each thing he found beneath the endless amounts of wrapping paper and boxes of presents. She couldn't help but smile along with him as he talked. She felt like she was caught in a spell that she didn't want to break free of.

"What do you plan on doing with it once you find it?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure…"

"I think you should build a restaurant there, allow others to have a taste of All Blue's delicacies…"

Smiling at the suggestion, Sanji nodded his head "That would be a good idea … however…."

"However?"

"You see, if the All Bllue were to be discovered, people would take all the fish and pollute the ocean's water. As much as I want to prove that the legend is real, I don't think I want anyone else knows that it exists so that they can misuse it…"

Lucia could only nod in agreement. She too knew all too well what mankind can do when they get their hands on something too precious to be discovered.

"Done!" Sanji announced as he served the food. Lucia perked her head up to see what it was that the chef made. It looked like wild yellow rice mixed with green and red pepers, onions, and different sorts of seafood.

"What is it?"

"It's 'Seafood Paella'" Sanji replied as he placed the plate in front of her "Here, try it."

She gave the meal a questioning look before picking up her fork and taking a bite. It was then that her confused look turned into one of awe. This was amazing! She never had food like this before. However, before she could continue to ravish the food, the door of the Gallery had opened, revealing two questionable strangers. One was a female with short, orange hair while the other was a male with shoulder-length curly black hair. It wasn't hard to notice him with the long nose he had.  
" Ohayo, Nami-swan!~would you like anything to eat?~"  
"Actually, I am quite hungry, can i-"  
"Can it, Long-nose! I wasn't talking to you!"  
"Sanji, who is that?" Questioned the orange-haired girl as she pointed to the strange girl eating at the table.  
"That's Lucia-swan~!"  
"Uh-huh, and what is she doing here? You know we can't allow stranger's here, what if she tries to rob my treasure!" Screamed an oh-so-concerned Nami  
"But Nami-san, she isn't like that!" Sanji said, trying to calm down the angry girl. "I invited her here so I can treat her to something to eat, and since then, she hasn't done a thing. Besides, you know I don't like leaving a young lady hungry~!"  
"Hey, I'm hungry too!" Complained the long-nosed friend, since he was being ignored.  
"Shut the heck up, Usopp! unless you want a boot to the face!"yelled Sanji as they started another fight.  
"Have Luffy and Zoro returned to the ship yet..." Nami asked, interrupting the two boys from their fight.  
"No, they haven't. No one was here when I got here" answered Sanji  
"Well we better get them. According to my calculations, there's a storm coming. A big one."  
"Luffy said that he wanted to go to the execution site. Maybe he's still there!" Suggested Usopp  
"And who knows, maybe the Moss head is with him" added Sanji  
"Ok, let's go get them before the storm comes!" Instructed Nami to the two young men. However, as they were planning to get their two friends, they had forgotten about their guest. But the girl hadn't forgotten their discussion.  
_"So this is a pirate ship. Not only that, but their captain is none other than the wanted pirate, Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm on the ship of the target I've been after."_ Thought Lucia as she silently chuckled at the strange turn of events. _"It is quite funny how fate plays out. Well then, I think it's about time that I meet this troublesome pirate, ne?"_

**... Meanwhile...**

_"Your going the wrong way~"__  
_"SHUT UP! FOR THE LAST TIME, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!"  
"Ne Zoro, who are you talking to?" Asked the confused captain as he watched his first mate yell a string of curses to an invisible person. Ever since they started their walk back to the ship, Zoro would always make an annoyed face as he led them through every turn and corner. It was actually quite funny, especially when he would randomly yell things that made no sense.  
"Be quiet Luffy and just let me lead" answered Zoro through his teeth  
"But what if you get us lost?"  
"I won't, I know where I'm going!"  
"Hahahaha! Zoro's so funny!" laughed the free spirited captain.  
" Hmph, idiot..." muttered Zoro in response.  
"_Watch your step~, we wouldn't want you to trip..."_  
_"I swear I'll-"_ but Zoro's threat was cut short because just then, his eyes looked down to notice he had no shadow. There was no sun. Looking up, he noticed black clouds swarming the sky, taking the place of where the sun was.  
"Looks like a storm's coming..." replied Hikari as she too noticed the weather.  
"Yeah, a big one..." Added Zoro as he, for once in the past 2 hours, agreed with the Spirit.  
" Luffy, we better hurry. Looks like there's gonna be a bad storm" Zoro advised his captain  
"Yosh! Let's head for Merry!"

**In another part of town...**

"Captain Smoker, sir!"  
"What is it Lieutenant? Weren't you suppose to ship those pirates to the Marine prison base?"  
"But Sir, there's a terrible storm outside!"  
"A storm?" Asked a confused Smoker  
"Yes sir. The waves will soon be way too dangerous to sail!" Informed the marine lieutenant  
" That's so, huh? Then place the pirates in our cells until the storm calms down"  
"Yes sir!" Answered the Lieutenant as he went off to do his assignment. It was then that Tashigi entered the room.  
"Smoker-san, we got a notice from headquarters!" Tashigi said as she handed the paper to Smoker. On the top said 'beware and on the lookout for these wanted men'. Looking it over, he noticed two pictures just below the heading. One was of Monkey D. Luffy, the pirate Madame Rouge was telling him about. The other was of the ex-pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro. Below the pictures was a simple sentence that said 'not to be underestimated; wanted dead or alive'.  
"What does it say?" Asked Tashigi  
"Apparently it's a warning about some wanted men..." Smoker explained before handing the paper to Tashigi. Looking at the face of the man she had just seen not that long ago, Tashigi became mad with rage. _"Roronoa Zoro! I should have known that guy was him! Does he think he can make a fool out of women and get away with it!..."__  
_"Smoker, I think I know where these men are" said Tashigi, anger painted clearly on her face  
"That won't be necessary, Tashigi. Madame Rouge is already on the case" answered Smoker, knowing all too well where this was leading to. "Besides, she doesn't like it when people butt in. So it's best that we-"  
"Rouge-sama had gone after them!" yelled Tashigi panickly

"Yes, but you shouldn't—"

"I can't let her go against them alone! Who knows what those monsters will do to her!" yelled Tashigi as she got her sword and ran out the door.

"Tashigi, wait!—" but it was too late. Honestly, why did the girl always do these things. Then again, Tashigi was quite strong for a female. However, could she take on two supposedly dangerous men?...

"Huh, I guess I'll have to wait and find out…"

**Back to…**

"Damn it, it's starting to rain!"yelled Zoro as they ran through the streets, not minding the Spirit leading them through the down pour. However, just as he spoke, something caught his attention. In front of them was a strange woman…

"Monkey D. Luffy, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's me? Who are you?"

Smiling the woman answered "My name is Lucia, your friends have been looking all over for you. I just came along to help."

"Really? That's great! Do you know where they are now? Oh, and our ship?" asked the excited boy

"Of course, just follow my lead…" however, just before they could take another step, they were stopped yet again by another strange person.

"Stay away from her!" yelled a familiar voice

"_Crap! Don't tell me…"_ Zoro thought to himself as he hoped to death that the person coming their way wasn't who he thought it was. But sadly, it was.

"Don't take another step!" yelled the girl as she made her way towards the three.

"_It's the girl that was with Smoker"_ thought Lucia as she noticed the girl.

"Tashigi? What are you doing here?" asked Lucia when the girl walked towards her

"I came here to lock up those two!" answered Tashigi as she pointed towards Luffy and Zoro.

"Them?"

"Yes! They are wanted men! The Marine Head Quarters have warned us about them. Therefore they need to be locked away, immediately!" Tashigi said as she glared at the two 'wanted men'. However, her frown turned into a caring smile when she turned back to Lucia.

"I'm glad to know you're not hurt though, Rouge-sama. I was very worried"

Lucia just stared at her incredulously. The way this girl acted, how worried she seemed about her safety…it just reminded her to much of _him._

Suddenly she felt a light push on her shoulder.

"Huh?..."

"Stay back, I'll handle this" answered Tashigi, her face serious. She looked like she could kill.

"But…"

"Zoro! I challenge you to a swordsman fight!" Tashigi said as she pulled out her sword "If I win, I get to take away your sword, the Wado Ichimonji!"

Zoro snorted at the statement, "Like you could ever take my sword away from me…"

"Wait!" yelled Lucia, though she didn't know what to do to stop the two

"Don't worry about it" Luffy answered as he placed a hand on her shoulder

"Demo…"

"Daijobu, Daijobu, Zoro can take care of himself" Luffy reassured her.

It was then that Lucia mentally slapped herself. _"Get a hold of yourself! Tashigi can take care of herself! What's important is the target, that's why I came along with them in the first place…" _and with that, she turned around and lead the straw hat boy.

Yep, stopped at the climax. Sorry I took so long, I had family over and a lot of stuff to do. I'll try to update as frequently as I can.

Preview:

Next Chapter: The new crew member

"_What the?! How were you able to overcome my Mino Mino no Mi powers!"yelled Lucia furiously at the black-haired girl_

"_I won't forgive you for trying to harm my friends" threatened the girl "Prepare yourself, for I challenge you to a Shadow Game!" _


	6. Chapter 6

Zoro: What took you so long?

Yukina: Hey I was busy, sue me for doing my homework!...or are you just too impatient cause you want to go hug and hold hands with Hikari?

Zoro:Wha—what the, No!

Yukina: Uh-huh

Zoro: Just start the story, damn you

Disclaimer: One piece nor its characters belong to me. They belong to their respected owners. Lucia/Madame Rouge and Hikari, yeah they are mine :D

Chapter 5: The new crew member

"Roronoa Zoro! I challenge you to a duel!" yelled Tashigi as she pulled out her sword "If I win, your sword, the Wado Ichimonji, belongs to me! Do we have a deal?"

Zoro snorted at the statement, "Like you could ever take my sword away from me…"Zoro said as he took out Wado, "But I do like a challenge, so give me your best shot"

With that, Tashigi came at Zoro at full speed, only to be stopped by Zoro's own blade. The two swords were evenly matched, though they had just begun. Wado and Shigure clashed blades as their masters stood still in their positions, daring the other to make another move. The green-haired swordsman couldn't help but feel nostalgic about the whole scene. It made him think about all the times he challenged Kuina. And each one she had won. Now he's fighting against a girl that looks so similar to her!

"That sword doesn't belong to you!" Tashigi said through her clenched teeth

"Oh really," Zoro asked, smirking at the comment "And why is that?"

"Because, you use your swords shamelessly! No true swordsman would use his swords for selfish reasons like money!" retorted Tashigi, remembering that the swordsman used to hunt pirates for their bounties.

"Hn. Too bad. Wado isn't leaving me" Zoro stated as his smirk widened, making the Kuina-clone growl.

Removing one hand from Wado to grab Kitetsu, he counterattacked Tashigi, making her lose her balance. Her back hit the wall as her sword was sent flying by one swing of Zoro's sword. It was over and Tashigi had lost.

"_No way…" _Tashigi thought to herself at the realization of her defeat

"I won't lose this katana" Zoro said as he slipped the swords back in "No matter what" and with those words being said, Zoro walked away from the girl to find his crew mates. However, Tashigi didn't let him leave just like that.

"Wh-Why don't you finish it!" asked Tashigi, her voice notably shaking. Whether out of fear or anger, neither of them were sure. "I lost fare and square, so you have to finish me off!" Tashigi yelled

"Or do you think I'm not worthy of it because I'm a woman?!" Unbeknownst to Tashigi, the comment stung Zoro. In more ways than she could believe. Still, he didn't turn back.

"Why won't you fight me like a man? Why do you let me live if I lost?!" Tashigi continued to protest. However, seeing that he wasn't going to listen, Tashigi grabbed the man by his arm.

"ANSWER ME!"yelled Tashigi as she forced the swordsman to look at her. However, just as she did, a force like electricity shot up her arm, making her back away from the swordsman. She looked up to the swordsman to question the action, only to find that Zoro was just as confused as she was. Tashigi wasn't sure where the energy came from. Nevertheless, she did know one thing for sure though. That the message was loud and clear, so she backed away, allowing the swordsman to go find his captain as he had been trying to do in the first place.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Meanwhile…

"Merry is just a few feet away from us"

"What about my crew?"

"They must be back in the Going Merry by now; they did agree to meet back at the ship in half an hour" answered Lucia, remembering the Navigator's instructions before the crew went off in search of their captain. The rain was starting to pour, making it a bit hard for the two to make their way out of the small town. _"I wonder if that girl made it back to the base…"_ thought Lucia, before she mentally slapped herself again for worrying about it. After all, the girl was a Marine; she was prepared for any kind of situation, a little rain won't kill her!

"Where did all that fog come from?" asked Luffy when he saw a puff of smoke not that far ahead of them.

"_Fog! There's never been a fog in LogueTown before!..."_thought Lucia in panic as she saw the smoke Luffy was talking about.

"Luffy! Matte!" yelled Lucia at the boy that was ahead of her. But it was too late. Like a bear trap, the smoke imprisoned its prey, holding the boy hostage.

"What the—LET ME GO!" yelled Luffy as he tried to release himself from his prisoner. Just then, the puff of smoke turned into a human.

"Not so fast. No pirate leaves here as a free man so long as I'm around" answered a man with white hair and a deep voice. "The name's Smoker, and trust me kid, you ain't leaving here by a long-shot"

"We'll see about that!" retorted Luffy as he tried to throw a sucker punch at Smoker, only to find that his fist connected with a cloud of smoke.

"What the?..."

"Surprised, kid? Just like you, I too ate a sea fruit. Except mine's allow me to turn into smoke" answered Smoker "Which means that you can't attack me so long as I'm in my smoke form, it'll be like punching air"

Well things were going wonderfully for Luffy. How can he defeat a person who can turn into smoke? Then again, Luffy never steered away in the face of danger.

"I don't care what power you have. I'm going to kick your butt and then I'm going off to the Grandline so that I can become King of the Pirates!" answered Luffy "So bring it on, Smokey!"

In reaction to the nickname, Smoker made his fist come at Luffy with his smoke power. Luckily, Luffy was ready and jumped away in time. They were neck to neck, both never stopping, not even when it began to thunder. It was an intense battle to see.

However, as the boys continued their fight, a sound of a battle cry came from a distance. Looking around, Lucia spotted them. It was Smoker's Marine officers! And they looked ready to fight.

"_Better stop them before they do something stupid.."_ thought Lucia as she walked up to them.

"Move aside, young lady!" answered a Marine officer "We are here to assist our captain in arresting the pirate, Monkey D. Luffy"

"I'm sorry, but you will be doing no such thing…" answered back Lucia

"Listen! We don't have any intentions on harming you. But if you continue to stop us from doing our duty, we will arrest you as well!"

"I don't think so" replied Lucia as her eyes became crimson red "Now cease and desist. Your becoming a eye sore"

"Yes, we shall do as you say, Master Lucia!" answered the Marine men as they raised their pistols towards their heads.

Just then, one of Smoker's fist connected with Luffy's stomach, making him hit the wall opposite of him. It didn't take long for the straw hat boy to fall into unconsciousness.

"_That kid was stronger than I thought!" _thought Smoker as he tried to catch his breath _"Well, at least it's finally over…"_

"Captain Smoker!" replied a voice, making Smoker turn his head in the direction of the voice

"What the heck are you men doing!" yelled Smoker when he saw his men, pistols raised at their heads.

"Let the pirate go, otherwise, we'll shoot" answered one of the Marine men.

"What the—are you out of your mind? Put those guns down, now!" yelled Smoker

"Now, now, Smoker…" answered Lucia as she smirked in the White Hunter's direction

"What are you planning on doing, kid?..."

"Nothing Smoker, so long as you do as I say" Lucia replied

"And what is that?" asked Smoker

"It's obvious Smoker. Let all the straw hats leave Loguetown."

"Ha! Let the pirates leave? Never!" answered Smoker

"Too bad Smoker. Because if you don't do as I say…" said Lucia as the men placed their fingers on the trigger "Well…I think you know what will happen then…"

"You—you wouldn't dare!..."

"Really, do you honestly want to take the risk?" asked Lucia, her smirk never leaving her face.

"_Damn it, she is right. I can't risk the life of my men…But the pirate! I can't let him leave here!"_Smoker thought as he pondered his situation right now. What will he choose? The life of his men or of some amateur pirate?

Growling in anger, Smoker gave the girl his answer "All right!" said Smoker as he put his sword on the ground, "Take him now and leave!"

"Hm." Hummed Lucia before she walked up to pick up the unconscious captain. Putting his arm around her shoulder, she dragged Luffy out of the town. That is, after she removed the spell off of the men.

"You have done well, my little slaves…"

"Thank you, Master Lucia!" answered the men before they collapsed to the ground.

"What the—" yelled Smoker, before Lucia interrupted him

"Relax, White Hunter" answered Luca "I just put them to sleep. That way, they'll forget everything that just happened and they will wake up, believing that this was all a dream."

"I still don't understand, why are you-?"

"It's better off that you don't" answered Lucia "Remember, I told you that the pirate is my business, so just stay out of this"

Smoker shook his head. There was just no way to understand this girl…

"Well, whatever it is your doing, just be careful"

Smiling, Lucia turned to the man one last time "Take care, Smoker…"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In another part of town…

Amazingly enough, the rain was starting to light up as Zoro tried making his way to the Going Merry. Thought, throughout the whole journey, the Spirit of the Sword had been very quite. Which was starting to worry him.

"Oi, Hikari, am I going the right way?" Zoro said, mentally slapping himself for asking the question. However, he didn't get a reaction out of the girl

"Hey, are you asleep or something?"

"…."

"ANSWER ME, DAMN IT, BEFORE I—!"

"_What she said bothered you, didn't it?"_ asked Hikari, interrupting Zoro from his previous rage

"Wh-What?"

"_When she said that, did she remind you of something from your past?"_continued to ask the Guardian, making Zoro stop his actions completely

"_Damn it, she's on the mark." _Thought Zoro. If he told her the truth, would she understand or make fun of him for it? Though Zoro had been able to cope with the death of his best friend and rival, he never really talked about her to anyone. Ever.

Sensing his nervousness, Hikari stopped asking the swordsman any more questions

"Forget it then…"

"Huh?"

"If it's still too uncomfortable for you to talk about, then I won't ask you anymore. The reason I did that to the girl back there was because I could sense that she was making you feel uncomfortable. I don't think that you should feel like you're obligated to do something if you don't feel right doing it…"

Unbeknownst to Hikari, her comment and her concern of the swordsman's feelings kind of embarrassed Zoro. He wasn't use to people worrying about him.

"Zoro, you okay? Are you catching a cold? Your face is getting red."

However, rather than answering the girl's questions, Zoro ran full speed, trying his best to ignore the Sprit as best as he could.

"Hey Zoro, your going the wrong the way!"

"Shut up, I know where I'm going!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Back to…

"Hmm…" muttered Luffy as he began to come back to full consciousness.

"…Where am I?"

"Look guys, he's waking up" yelled a familiar voice

"Usopp, is that you?..." asked Luffy as the face of his comrade came into full view.

"Yeah, man. What happened to you? Lucia had to drag you back to the boat!"

"Lucia?..." Luffy questioned before he spotted the violet-eyed girl "Oh right, hey Lucia!"

"Luffy, do you remember anything that happened before you collapsed?" asked Nami

"Um…I remember fighting this one marine guy…"

"Smoker?" asked Nami

"Yeah, that's his name!" answered Luffy, before turning back to Lucia "What happened to him anyways? I don't remember…"

"You defeated him" answered Lucia

"Wha—Really!"

"Don't be so shocked…It took a lot of your energy, but you still defeated him. Just like you said…"answered Lucia

"Really?" Luffy said in excitement "Yahoo! I defeated the Marine captain of Loguetown!"

"_That boy is too easy to fool"_ thought Lucia as she watched Luffy dance in joy. Then again, it wouldn't have been impossible for Luffy to defeat Smoker, even if she hadn't interfered.

"Oi, I hate to interrupt your merriment, but I think we're still missing a crew member" interrupted Sanji

"Yeah, where's Zoro?" Nami asked Luffy "He was with you, wasn't he?"

"Well, yeah. But then we got separated" Luffy answered the orange-haired girl

Suddenly, a thud was heard. Someone had just jumped on the deck!

"What the heck was that?" asked Usopp as everyone went out to see what had caused the noise. In front of them, panting and completely soaked in water, was their very own swordsman.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed before running up to the green-haired man

"You idiot! What if you had broken the deck you moron!" yelled Nami

"Shut..up…you witch!..." answered back Zoro, panting at each sentence.

"Don't call Nami-swan a witch, Marimo!" replied the blond chef

"I don't need any of your complaining stupid chef!" yelled back Zoro

"Seriously, Zoro, what took you so long? Did you really get that lost?" asked Usopp, laughing at the swordsman's terrible sense of direction. Sadly for him, poor Usopp was unaware of the fate that was in store for him. As soon as the swordsman saw him, his fist immediately connected with Usopp's unsuspecting face.

"Ouch! My nose!"

"THAT'S FOR MOVING THE SHIP!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Later that day…

"Dinner will be finished in a few minutes!" informed Sanji as he got done with the finishing last touches of the meal. The others had gone to take a hot shower to warm up from the cold rain fall. As for their guest Lucia, Luffy had long invited her into his group, which Lucia accepted. Now their ship was heading towards the Grandline, in search of their next great adventure.

"Hurry up, Sanji!" yelled Luffy impatiently "I want meat!"

"Calm down, rubber for brains, it'll be done in a few" retorted Sanji to his childish captain.

"But I'm hungry~!" complained Luffy

"Don't be discouraged Luffy," replied Lucia as she placed a hand on the straw hat's shoulder "Remember, good things come to those who wait"

"So if I wait…I'll get yummy food?" asked Luffy, drool coming down his mouth

"Of course" answered Lucia, making the recently gloomy captain quite happy

"Oh Lucia-swan! You are as smart as you are beautiful!~" replied Sanji, hearts dancing in his eyes

However, her thoughts drowned both of their voices out. _"I actually was able to successfully get into the ship…now it's time to get part 2 of my mission out of the way…"_ thought Lucia as she secretly pulled out a necklace with a crimson stone. _"In a little while, all his power will be gone…"_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Mmm-hmm~! That was delicious~!" Luffy complimented as he rubbed his full stomach

"Yeah, nothing like hot food on a cold, rainy day" Usopp added as he too finished his meal

"Thanks for the meal, Sanji" replied Nami

"You're welcome my angel~! Serving you is a pleasure~!" answered the cook

"Hn. Moron" muttered Zoro

"What did you say, Marimo?" Sanji asked the swordsman

"So what should we do now? It's still too early to go to bed" said Usopp, interrupting the two men's discussion.

"Let's play tag!" suggested Luffy

"It's still raining outside, Luffy" answerd Nami. Though, even if it were sunny outside, she wouldn't subject herself to such childish games. Suddenly, a smell of freshly baked goods came towards the straw hat crews' way.

"Hey Sanji, did you bake something" Usopp asked the chef

"No, I didn't" admitted Sanji.

"Would anyone like some cake?" asked Lucia as she carried a tray filled with cake and tea

"Lucia, you baked this?" asked Usopp

"It's nothing great, but I thought that maybe we could eat some before heading off to bed"

"Ew! Can I have some! Can I have some!" chanted Luffy, before a fist connected with his head

"Be patient! You'll get your slice when you get it". It didn't take long for Lucia to serve each straw hat with tea and cake, or for them to finish their slices.

"Wow! That's the best cake I've ever had!" replied Usopp

"It tastes great, mind sharing with me the recipe one day, Lucia-san" asked Sanji

"Sure" answered Lucia. It was then, that a loud yawn was heard.

"I'm soooo tired~…." Answered Luffy as his eyes became droopy.

"Hey don't (*yawn*) do that, or I'll start getting sleepy too…" answered Usopp as his head began to bob

However, it barely took a few seconds before all the crew members fell asleep._ "Things are going according to plan…_" thought Lucia as she viewed her handy work. It took a little while longer for the sleeping formula to take full effect, but it did the job just right.

"It's hard to believe that a captain as simple minded as him exists" Lucia said to herself as she pulled out the necklace.

"Even so, it's time I got the job done" she answered as placed the necklace in front of the sleeping face of the captain. It's crimson stone began to glow.

"Now, give me your power!" exclaimed the brunette as the necklace's red glow beamed in the captain's direction. His power seeping from his body and into the necklace's blood-red gem.

"_Yes, that's it!" _thought Lucia as she could feel the boy's sea fruit power being generated in the necklace she held in her hand. When it was done, she stuffed the necklace back inside her shirt.

"Easier than I thought" Lucia replied as she walked her way out of the Gallery. That is, until a strange aura began to emerge, making the girl stop in her tracks.

Near the place the swordsman had placed his swords, was the figure of a young girl. Her amber-colored eyes glowered in her direction.

"Hm. And just who are you suppose to be?"

"None of your concern, so long as you return Luffy's power" answered the girl

"Really? And just who is going to make me? You?" asked Lucia "Just stand there and stay quiet, it will do you some good"

"How about I come over there and rip that necklace from your neck?" growled the girl before she walked up towards Lucia

"I said, **stay back!**" yelled Lucia, her eyes glowing again. This time, in the direction of the Guardian. Before she could take her next step, Hikari stopped moving. She felt like someone had glued her feet to the floor.

"Wha—How?..."

"Can't move? Good." Replied Lucia "You see my dear, I possess the Mino Mino no mi sea fruit power, that means that I can control the person I choose with just a command or thought"

"Why you-!"

"I'd hold my treats if I were you" answered Lucia "At least I froze you. Be thankful that I didn't command you to do something more…drastic than that"

"I won't let you get away with this!"

"Right" Lucia replied before walking away towards the door again

"I said…" suddenly, a knife came in contact with the door knob, a few inches away from Lucia's hand "You're _**not**_ getting away!" yelled Lucia as she walked in Lucia's direction, her body no longer under Lucia's spell.

"What the?! How were you able to overcome my Mino Mino no Mi powers!"yelled Lucia furiously at the black-haired girl

"I won't forgive you for trying to harm my friends" threatened the girl "Prepare yourself, for I challenge you to a Shadow Game!"

"Shadow Game?" asked Lucia. However, just as she asked, the room around them transformed. In place of the Gallery was a dark, empty void.

"Yes, the Shadow Games. It is a penalty game. We are to fight each other using only our strengths and powers. No cheating or killing is allowed. If any of us break the rules or loses, that person suffers the penalty for their actions through judgment of their character. The worse the person, the worse the punishment"

"_Sounds like a risky game…"_ thought Lucia to herself before responding to the Guardian

"And what of the winner?"

"They get to own one item from the loser and leave the game unharmed" answered Hikari

"Alright then" Lucia replied "May the best fighter win."

Finally got a chapter. Now I'm sleepy. Lucia, did you give me some of that cake too! Anyway's laters! :3


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: One piece nor its characters belong to me. They belong to their respected owners. Original characters like Lucia/Madame Rouge and Hikari, yeah they are mine

Chapter 6- Who Am I? The End of the Shadow Games!

"I won't forgive you for trying to harm my friends!" threatened the girl "Prepare yourself, for I challenge you to a Shadow Game!"

"Shadow Game?" asked Lucia. Just then, the room around them transformed. It looked like as though they had just stepped in a dark, empty void.

"Wha-What is this place?"

"To be exact, we are inside Sandai Kitetsu" answered the Spirit.

"_Sandai Kitetsu…Isn't that the cursed sword?..." _pondered Lucia as she examined the room.

"Let's get things started, shall we?" replied the ravenette as she lifted an arm in the air. Suddenly, a large object appeared out of nowhere. While it was being placed down on the floor next to them, Lucia noticed that the object was actually an hourglass! Lifting up her other hand, the amber-eyed girl summoned 6 rings.

"When all the sand has fallen down, that is when the shadow games have ended…" explained Hikari as she threw 3 rings in the brunette girl's direction "And whoever has the most of rings wins. The person with the least amount suffers the penalty"

"_So all I have to do is make sure she doesn't take any of my rings and take 1 or more from her before the time runs out…." _ Lucia thought to herself as she reviewed the rules of the game.

"Alright then" Lucia replied "May the best fighter win."

Charging at the girl, Lucia brought her hand into the pocket of her jacket. Pulling out a gun, Lucia took aim and fired. The shot was meant to be a warning shot and lightly graze the girl's arm. However, as the bullet made it's way to Hikari's arm, she lifted her hand up and grabbed it within the palm of her hand.

"_What the ?!..." _thought Lucia as the girl threw the bullet to the floor and stomped on it as though it were a bug.

"Now, it's my turn" the Spirit stated as she aimed to punch Lucia in the stomach. Lucia tried to counter it by moving away in time, but she still couldn't escape the attacks blow. Her arm took the punch's blow, but she didn't think it would hurt as much as it did now! It felt as if her arm got slashed by the sharpest blade! Too preoccupied with dealing with her injured arm, the Spirit took advantage of this moment to steal one of the girl's rings.

"That's one down" noted Hikari as she checked on the hourglass "And only 30 minutes left to go…"

"_Ah! What was that?!" _Lucia screamed in her head in pain. _"What is this girl? No person can have that much strength!"_

"Alright, I think it's time I took things up a notch" muttered Lucia as her eyes began to glow. A red beam began to form and shot out her hand. (Pretty much, Lucia's attack is like a darker form of a ki attack that you'd see in DBZ)

"Woah!" Hikari couldn't help but cry out as she ducked the attack, the blast kept going and ended up hitting the wall opposite of her. Once it made contact, it exploded, creating a stronger blast that almost sent Hikari flying.

"No way…" Hikari muttered to herself as she watched the blast explode.

"I wouldn't be paying attention to that if I were you" answered Lucia before she kicked the girl in the chin, sending her off flying. The force of the kick made her drop 2 of her rings. Looking at the hourglass, Lucia noted that only 20 minutes were left.

"_It seems that things are in my favor" _noted Lucia as the Spirit tried getting back up. _"Now is time that I end it…"_

"**Haki Blast!**" Lucia cried out as two red blasts shot out of her hands. Hikari, staggering to stand up, brought her arms in the form of an X, shielding herself from the blasts effect. While the girl was in her protective stance, Lucia charged at the girl. Lowering her arms down, Hikari wasn't able to defend herself again as a blast was shot right at her face! Taking the last ring, Lucia believed the battle was over.

"_There's no way she can get up after that attack…"_ Lucia thought to herself _"And the time is about over…this girl was tough, though she wasn't much of a match…"_

"It seems that I have won the match" Lucia said to herself out loud "Once I'm in the real world, I can go off and finish my true objective…"

"H-hold it!" the Spirit screamed as she tried to stop the girl from leaving

"Save your breath. You barely have any strength to stand up."

"Wh-Why? Why did you take L-Luffy –sama's power? What is your 'true objective'?" Hikari asked the girl

Lucia's bangs covered her face as her face became dark. "To…to defeat _**him!**_"

"H-Him?"

"The man responsible for the suffering of my village, the man who let my mother die, the man who took the only family I had left!" yelled Lucia as her grip on the rings tightened. "My whole life, I have lived in fear and suffering… I finally couldn't take it anymore! Watching him take life after life as though it were a game!"

Glaring down at the ground, she continued her story "That monster is my father, Charles VI Britannia. He's a Marine. Not long before I was born, he impressed his officers and got nominated as leader of the Ultimate Marine Base, Britanica…" gripping the rings harder, Lucia drew blood out of her hands "But rather than using his position for good, he abused his position and became emperor of the base. He got the whole army of Britanica to turn against the other leaders and has become like an emperor to them! He's responsible for most of the chaos and take over's around the Grandline! My father didn't exclude pirates from his terrain, he made alliances with all sorts of people….Arlong was one of his alliances. I was able to get out of my village alive. However, not long after my escape, there was news that my dad was after some power, one that could help him conquer the whole world!"

Hikari couldn't help but be blown away with what the brown-haired girl was saying! _"To live such a terrible life,…and what's worse, the source of her suffering is her own father!"_

"I needed to find out what his plans were. With my records completely gone, a courtesy of an old friend of mine, I was able to escape without anyone noticing. However, to not draw out any attention from my father, I gave myself the name 'Madame Rouge'. Being alliances with the Marines, I thought I could find more information on my dad."

Removing the necklace from her neck, she held it within her other hand

"I have a theory, more or less, of where he is and what his plans are. However, if my thesis is correct, I had better defeat him soon. This necklace takes power from sea fruit users, like your friend Luffy. With their power, I can go and find my father, stop his plans, and defeat him! That way no one else can suffer as my village has!"

"You can't!" Hikari cried out as she continued trying to get up "If you go up as you are now, you'll surely die!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Answered Lucia, checking the watch again, she noted that only a few minutes remained "There's only 10 minutes left in the game" smiling sadly at the girl, Lucia said "Besides Smoker, you are the only other person who knows my secret…I'm sorry to see things end like this between you and me, but I already sealed my fate. I'm not going to let my father get his way, even if I have to die!"

Just then, Lucia felt a strong force knock her out, making her back slam hard on the wall opposite of her. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was the girl. And she was glowing with amazing power! Looking down, she saw that all the 6 rings were in the girl's grasp!

"So what? You're going to stop me from killing myself by killing me yourself?!"

"No" answered Hikari, the aura around her radiating her body "Remember, I said that the penalty ranges on the heart of the person. Your cause is good so your penalty won't be one of death"

Lifting her hand, a gold beam shot out of her hand and flew right at Lucia.

"_Damn it!" _Lucia screamed in her mind as the blast made her way. Knowing she couldn't escape it, she accepted her fate, allowing the impact of the blast to lead her into deep unconsciousness.

Turing an eye in the direction of the hourglass, Hikari noted that all the sand had fallen to the bottom of the glass. The room they were in began to shift back into the Gallery.

"The game is over" Lucia noted to herself as she saw the sleeping faces of the Straw hat crew. Looking over at the unconscious girl, she felt great pain for her.

"Don't worry, Lucia. You will defeat him…You won't die, but for now…it's best that you wait until you are ready…"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The next day…

"Ooooohhh Man! I'm so hungry!" said Luffy when he was fully awake. Seeing the form of the sleeping cook, Luffy decided to wake him up.

"Wake up Sanji! Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!~" yelled Luffy in a sing-song voice as he slapped the cook's shoulder. Aiming his right foot at the idiot captain's face, Sanji kicked Luffy's head.

"SHUT UP LUFFY! LEAVE A PERSON ALONE WHILE THEIR SLEEPING, HUH?!" yelled Sanji as he turned around to see the lazy swordsman sleeping.

"WAKE UP, STUPID MARIMO!" Sanji said as he kicked Zoro upside his head. (Sanji, you hypocrite! Lol :D)

"YOU WANT A FIGHT, DART BROW!" Zoro replied as he placed one hand on his katanas.

"BOTH OF YOU MORON'S SHUT UP!" yelled Nami and Usopp as they hit Sanji and Zoro on their heads. (Gotta love them, right?)

"Sheesh, you bunch of idiots are loud enough to wake up a whole island!" Nami said as she scolded the three, before noticing something…

"Hey, where's Lucia?" Nami asked the crew

"Wasn't she here with us not that long ago?"responded the sniper

Seeing the light from the sun shining through the window, Sanji responded "She might have gone to the restroom to watch up, it is morning after all…"

"Right, I'll go check on her" Nami answered as she rushed towards the bathroom. As she had thought, the bathroom door was locked. Knocking on the door, Nami tried to make sure that Lucia was really there.

"Lucia! Luica are you there?" asked Nami. Not getting an answer, she picked at the locks with her hair pins and managed to open the door. Indeed, Lucia was there. Her hands on either side of the sink as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The water dripping on her face indicated to Nami that she had freshened herself not that long ago.

"Lucia, are you okay?"

"Who—Who are you?..."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

10 minutes later…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO WE ARE?!" yelled the four boys after Nami explained to them Lucia's situation

"I _**mean**_ that she doesn't remember!" answered Nami "She doesn't know who we are, who she is, and why she's here!"

Said girl was currently sitting on the floor of the deck, wearing a brown skirt, long-sleeved shirt, and orange high heels she borrowed from Nami.

"Is it possible that hit her head while we were asleep last night?" suggested Usopp

"Probably, any number of things could have happened" responded Zoro

"My poor Lucia-swan! To have to suffer amnesia!~" cried out Sanji in remorse

"Well, it looks like we are going to have to let her memories come back on their own" Nami said "Meanwhile, we're going to have to be patient and pay extra careful attention to her"

While Nami and the crew were speaking, Zoro noticed that Kitetsu was glowing. As the others continued discussing, Zoro took his swords and went up to the crow's nest.

Grabbing the glowing katana, Zoro was instantly sent into the Spirit's domain.

"Glad to see that your okay" noted Hikari once she saw the green-haired man

"Hikari, do you know what happened last night?" asked Zoro. He knew that something had gone down while everyone was fast asleep. And he needed to know now.

"Before I answer your question, I need to ask you something" replied Hikari "Did you sense something wrong when Lucia joined the crew?"

"Yeah, I did but I thought—"

"Don't ever do that again!" interrupted Hikari "As a swordsman, you should never let your guard down! If you sense that something is wrong, you must act on that reaction. It's a life or death situation out here in the Grandline!" Hikari said before answering the swordsman's question.

"Last night, Lucia put a sleeping tonic in the slices of cakes you all ate" Saying this, Zoro's eyes widened in shock "While you guys were asleep, she stole Luffy's sea fruit power" Hikari said before she pulled out the necklace Lucia had the day before "This is the thing she used to steal his power…I challenged her to a Shadow Game and for a while, she was winning. Then…then she told me about her father. How he's a leader of the Marine's Ultimate Base in Britanica and how he used his position for evil, causing her village, along with many others, to suffer and causing her to lose the lives of those she loved! She wanted to use Luffy's and the powers from the other sea fruit users she stole to face him"

Not being able to face the swordsman, Hikari looked towards the ground "I…I couldn't let her go up and challenge him! She wasn't ready yet, I knew she would die! I don't know where the strength came from, but I was able to defeat her. Rather than taking her life, I erased all her memories. That way, she won't be compelled to go after her father. I know she's suffering because she's so confused…but I believe that this way, she can get stronger, …and maybe even finally find happiness while she gets her memories back…"

Turning back towards the Swordsman, she said "You must think I'm a selfish and cruel person now, huh?"

However, rather than receiving a cold 'yes' from the swordsman as she expected, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.

"_Wh-what the?..."_ Hikari thought to herself in shock as she realized that Zoro was actually hugging her!

"No, not at all." Zoro answered before looking at the Spirit's face "A selfish person wouldn't stop another person from ultimately killing themselves. I will admit; I wish you hadn't erased her memories. But still, this is the safest way to keep her from facing her father too soon."

The Spirit felt her heart pound violently at the words and actions of the swordsman. All her life, she was seen as a curse, as a deliverer of death and darkness. And this man was the only one who ever treated her like a human being. It made her happy to know she had a friend like him.

"T-thank you…" Hikari said, trying her best to hide her blushing face. Smiling at her, Zoro lightly kissed her cheek.

"Wha-What was that for?!" asked Hikari embarrassed, not able to hide her tomato red face.

"For protecting my crew…and my captain" Zoro answered. His dazzling smile was starting to kill her!

"_This man is going to be the death of me, I just know it!" _Hikari screamed in her head.

"Wait, so you are able to take human form?" Zoro said as he just realized that Hikari and Lucia fought.

"Oh yeah…" Hikari answered "I can take human form, but I think it's temporary. I can only stay in human form so long as I am within 10 feet of the Kitetsu sword."

"Wow, that's cool" Zoro said "Maybe you can pop out and scare the crew. It would give me a good laugh".

Laughing at the idea herself, Hikari shook her head. "No, not for now. It's too soon for me to introduce myself to the crew yet. They already have a full plate on their hands."

"True" Zoro answered

"But I will show myself to them" Hikari assured the swordsman "Not now, but soon though"

Nodding his head, Zoro accepted the girl's decision.

"I better go back and check on them…make sure that Luffy and Usopp don't do anything to corrupt the girl"

"True enough" Hikari agreed, remembering how rambunctious the two were

Before leaving, Zoro turned back towards the girl

"By the way, thanks. I'm glad to know I can count on you" Zoro answered before finally leaving the Spirit's room. Registering the man's words, Hikari couldn't help but smile. For once in her life, somebody believed in her.

Phew. I finally got chapter 6 up. It wasn't easy cause I didn't know how describe the fight. I can imagine a battle in my mind; it's just hard describing it. Hope you guys liked the light ZoroXHikari scene, I know I did: D I'll try to put up a SanjiXLucia scene too. Stay tuned to see what will happen to our favorite pirate crew on the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Guardian of the sword

Chapter 7: Gomu Gomu No Mo!

It had been a full week since the incident on the Going Merry occurred. With Lucia's memories still blank, the crew had to watch over the girl and make sure that she didn't get into trouble. Which wasn't too much of a problem because the shy girl, though she didn't recognize the crew members, was very polite and obedient to them. Even more so than when she did have her memories…

"Nami-swan~,Lucia-swan, breakfast is ready~!" cried out a love-struck Sanji as he went to serve the two girl's on the Going Merry

"Sanji! GIMME MEAT!" complained Luffy when he heard the cook announce that breakfast was ready.

"QUIET, RUBBER BRAIN! I'LL FEED YOU WHEN I FEED YOU!" yelled back Sanji before he gave the girl's their meals

"Thank you, Sanji. It's good as always" said Nami as she took a bite out of her food

"Arigatou, Nami-swan~!" replied Sanji to the compliment. However, when his eye turned to Lucia, he saw that she was in a dense state. She barely touched her food and her gaze wasn't directed at anything in particular. _"She's trying to gain her memories again…"_ thought Sanji as he realized what was wrong with the girl. This wasn't the first time that Sanji had seen her like this. Ever since the day she lost her memories, he would continually find her in that state. Sometimes she would leave the room she shared with Nami and go towards the deck whenever she had a 'strange dream'. Sanji felt bad for the girl but Nami had told him that they had to let her memories come on their own.

"Would you like something else to eat, Lucia-san?" asked Sanji in a more serious tone

"Huh? Oh, no, no. This is fine!" answered the girl, worried that she had offended the other in some way

"All right then. But if you don't feel like eating, you don't have to." Sanji answerd before putting a hand to the girl's forehead. "I think it's best that you should lie down and rest. You're burning up, and I know you haven't been sleeping enough lately…"

"O-Okay then…" Lucia answered before agreeing with the Cook and heading for her room.

"I-I'm sorry for wasting the food…"

"Don't think much about it!" answered Sanji as he pointed at the captain that was currently eating Lucia's untouched food. "With a captain like him, nothing goes to waste here!"

Giggling at the glutton captain, Lucia finally made her way to the bedroom. Nonetheless, as the cook disciplined the captain for taking food when he wasn't told to and prepared the meals for the other males, Nami couldn't help but notice something different about Sanji. It was Sanji's nature to be worried about a woman in distress, that much was true. But this concern he had for Lucia was a bit…different. Even the way he would care for her was almost intimate. However, she couldn't interrogate the cook at the moment. He seemed like he had a lot going on in his mind. _"I'll have to talk to him about it later…"_Nami thought as she looked over the horizon. _"For now, I need to focus on looking for an island to land on. We haven't seen one in a while and we're going to need to restock on inventory soon…"_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So you still couldn't find a way to make that thing work?" asked Zoro, who was currently in the boy's cabin room with the Kitesu Guardian.

"No, not a thing…" replied the Spirit, her eyes never leaving the necklace currently in her hands.

"I've tried all I could, but nothing worked…" Hikari said as her hand unconsciously touched the necklace's red ruby. "I even tried doing some researching in the library in Nami's room…when she wasn't around, of course" assured the Spirit when Zoro gave her questioning look.

Hikari had hoped that when she defeated Lucia, that the sea fruit powers of the hyper-active captain would return. However, a day after, Luffy had noticed that he couldn't use his powers when he tried sling shooting himself into the crow's nest. Zoro was able to get away with explaining things to the confused captain because right when he was about to do it, Nami and Usopp knocked the sense out of Luffy before he could break anything on the ship. Also, there hadn't been much reason for Luffy to try to use his powers because they hadn't docked yet. But Zoro was still worried that Luffy would catch on soon. So that's why the whole week Hikari had been doing what she could to find out how to return the raven-haired boy's powers back.

"I'll keep doing what I can…However; I think our best chances of finding out how to return Senchou's powers is on the next island we land on"

"Right, but what should I do if Luffy gets too curious about not being able to use his powers?" asked the worried swordsman. Though his captain was an idiot, Zoro didn't feel all too well lying to Luffy. Sensing the man's discomfort, the Spirit moved her gaze from the necklace to the swordsman. A sudden wave of guilt washed over her as she did so. After all, the reason why he was in this position in the first place was because of her irresponsibility. If anything were to happen to the captain it would be her fault. Because of her, he can't even defend himself!

"Hey, it's not like it's your fault…" Zoro said when he saw the girl's gloomy face.

"But—"

"If anything, it's my fault. I'm Luffy's nakama and his First Mate. I should have been more alert and been there to protect him" answered Zoro

"Don't say that. It's not something anyone could have predicted, really." Replied the Spirit

"Still, because of you, Luffy's still safe and alive. If Lucia had been anyone else, he would have been dead a long time ago. So thanks, for being there" Zoro said, giving the girl a light smile, making the Spirit feel a little less guilty. It was then that he heard a sound outside. It sounded like…cannon shots…

"What was that?" asked the Guardian when she heard the sound too

"I'm not sure, let's go check it out" answered Zoro as he got up and made his way up to the door. Nodding her head, Hikari agreed as she returned to her place inside the Kitetsu Sword.

"Usopp, are you testing the cannons again?" asked Zoro once he made it towards the deck.

"Um…no, I haven't gotten a chance to yet…" answered the Sharp Shooter

"I was actually thinking about doing that later when-Zoro, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost!" asked Usopp when Zoro's face became real shocked.

If the cannon shoots weren't coming from Usopp, then where were…

Just then, a massive blow hit the left side of the Going Merry, which caused everyone on the ship to either fall or slide on the deck.

"What was that?!" asked the Navigator, using the crow's nest as support.

"Is everybody okay?" asked Sanji as he came out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, we're fine" answered Nami before turning to the Sharp Shooter "Usopp, go check to see if the ship got hit"

"I'll go check on Lucia" said Sanji

"Yeah, go and see if she's okay!" Nami agreed as the cook ran in the direction of the girl's cabin room.

"Lucia! You okay!" yelled Sanji in concern as he tried looking for the girl. She was nowhere near sight!

"Lucia?!" asked Sanji as he searched the room.

"Lucia, where are you?"

"R-Right here…" replied a quiet voice. Recognizing the voice, Sanji walked towards the small figure hiding behind the bed. It was definetly Lucia, only she was completely covered by the blanket she was using to sleep in. Her whole frame was shaking and trembling every now and then.

"Lucia, are you okay?" asked Sanji as he placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder

"Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine…" Lucia replied from behind the covers.

"Come with me, it's not safe for you to be in here alone" Sanji said as he helped the girl stand up. She was still afraid as she tried leaving the room with Sanji. Every once in awhile, she would hear a noise and clutch the man's arm. Sanji found the action cute but did his best to calm the girl down as he led her towards the deck.

On seeing the girl, Nami ran up to Lucia "Lucia, daijoubu? Did you get hurt?"

"Mm-mmh" answered the girl as she shook her head no.

"Phew…that's good to hear" Nami said. Just then, the Sharp Shooter was coming their way.

"Did you see anything, Usopp?"

"There doesn't seem to be any damage on the ship…" Usopp said as he made his way back to the others

"If the ship wasn't damaged, then whatever it was that our enemies shot at us must have landed in the water, a few feet from our ship" Nami replied as she guessed the possible reason for the attack's effect.

"But who could be responsible for all these attacks?" asked Usopp

"Well, we are pirates. It shouldn't be much of a surprise if we get attacked" answered Zoro

Suddenly, the crew noticed that a huge ship was heading their way. It was about 3 times taller than Merry and its ship was colored in a black-licorice color. It had three sails. One of them had the Jolly Roger of a skull and a bold X.

"That's a big ship…" muttered Sanji as the ship came into view

"That ship alone can tear down the Going Merry!" cried out Usopp

"I hope I didn't scare you all too much" replied a deep voice. Turning towards the direction of the voice, the straw hat pirates saw that it was a man that seemed to be in command of the ship that had been attacking them. He had a long, braded beard. His hair was dark-grey and he wore black jacket with a white dress shirt. He wore tan, steel toed boots and a captain's hat that seemed to have the same Jolly Roger as that of the ship.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Domovio. King of the South Blue!" answered the man smugly. "You seem to have quite the interesting ship, I'll **take it.**"

"Oh no you won't, this is my ship!" yelled Luffy at the grey-bearded captain.

"So bold for a young lad, why don't you try fighting me for it?" Domovio said in a challenging voice.

"Bring it on!"

"Luffy be careful!" Zoro cried out. But it was too late. Another cannon was shot. This time, it landed on the deck, a feet from the poor Navigator and the raven-haired girl. Sanji was able to get Lucia before she could hit the water, but Nami wasn't so fortunate.

"You ok?" asked Sanji worriedly

"I-I'm fine" answered Lucia once she was able to calm the beating of her bounding heart.

"Wait, Where's Nami-san?"

"Huh? Oh, no" Sanji said as he realized that the Navigator wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Nami-san!" the cook cried out as he tried searching for the Navigator. He was about to jump in to look for her when all of a sudden, something came out of the water. It was Zoro! And with him was Nami!

"Nami-san! Are you ok?!" asked Lucia

"Yeah, we're alright!" answered Nami as she allowed Zoro to lead them back to the ship.

"I've never been so glad to see the plant-head in all my life!" replied Sanji, relieved to see Nami safe and sound as well. Even if her hero was the Marimo…

"That's so weird…"

"What do you mean, Usopp?" asked Lucia

"Well, the cannon hit us directly, but all it did was send you and Nami flying." Usopp said to the confused girl.

"Yeah, you're right…" Sanji agreed when he began noticing the pattern too. It was just then, as Zoro tried swimming back to the ship with Nami, another deadly cannon was shot. The wave of the cannon was so strong that it pulled the swordsman and the Navigator twelve feet away from the ship. Not only that, but something seemed to have fallen off Zoro when the cannon hit the water. On further inspection, Luffy noticed that that something was glowing. It was one of Zoro's swords! Without thinking, Luffy dove in the water.

"Luffy, wait!" cried out the three shipmates at their captain.

"Stupid Rubber-brain!" yelled Sanji before he went after the boy. Luffy, however, was too preoccupied trying to retrieve the sword to notice what he had done. He grabbed the sword and began to swim back up. When he reached the surface, he saw that Sanji was in the water too.

"Sanji, what are you doing in the water?"

"YOU IDIOT! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT YOU…can't…swim?…" Sanji said as he noticed that the captain was **actually** swimming! But how? He did eat the sea fruit that made him a rubber boy in the first place. How was he able to swim now?

"Luffy, your swimming"

"Yeah?"

"Luffy, YOUR SWIMMING"

Finally understanding what the cook meant, Luffy began to panick.

"Wah! How am I swimming?" asked the perplexed captain

"I don't know, but let's head back to the ship" said Sanji, to which the raven-haired boy nodded his head in agreement.

"Right!" Luffy said as he and Sanji swam back towards the ship.

When they made it towards Merry, a rope ladder fell in front of them.

"Climb up you guys!" Usopp cried as he and Lucia grabbed on either side of the ladder from the deck.

"Usopp, what's the jerk up to now?" asked Sanji as he and Luffy climbed the ladder.

"Nothing yet, but who knows for sure what he's planning on doing" answered Usopp

Making it on the deck, the straw hats turned their attention back to the source of their problems.

"You're gonna pay! Jerk!" yelled Luffy

"If you try anything to hurt Lucia-san or Nami-san again, I'm gonna kick the lights out of you, ya old fart!" Sanji threatened the grinning Domovio

"Now, now fellas. Let's not get too hasty…" answered Domovio "After all, I don't want you to get hurt"

"Yeah, like you can do anything to us!" Usopp said as he stood behind Luffy "I'll have you know that my friend here has quite a high bounty on his head, 30 million beli!"

"You wuss" Sanji replied at the scardy cat Usopp who continued to make threats to the man behind the straw hat captain

"Really, now? That's rather interesting…" Domovoi said

"Yeah, and not only that, but Luffy here has eaten one of the sea fruits! He's a rubber man and boy can he knock you out faster than you can say 'Gol Roger'!"

"How about I take you up on that bet?" asked Domovio

"Huh?" replied a confused Usopp. Suddenly, the same crazy man who had been annoying them up until now had jumped from his giant ship to that of the straw hat crews'.

"What the heck?" said Usopp

"Show off" muttered Sanji

"Ah, this is quite the ship!" Domovio said as he observed it "Yes, it shall go well with my collection…"

"If you so much as take a step further, I'll knock you down where you stand!" yelled Luffy angrily

"I don't think you're in any position to be demanding _me…_" answered Domovio before snapping his fingers. And just like that, 40 to 50 hundred men appeared out the huge ship. They let down several long ropes as they came down on the Merry.

"If we don't take these guys down right now, they're gonna sink the ship!"Sanji informed the three crew mates

"Right!" Luffy said as he charged at Domovio's crew.

"**Gomu Gomu no~**"Luffy said as he prepared his attack

"Yeah Luffy, let them have it!" cheered Usopp. However, Luffy didn't do anything.

"Luffy! Attack them already!"

"I would!" said Luffy "But for some odd reason, I can't!"

"WHAT?!"

Overhearing the pirate's discussion, the men began to chuckle evilly.

"That's too bad now, isn't it boys?" asked Domovio, smirking evilly towards the pirates

"He may not be able to attack, but I sure as heck can!" yelled Sanji as he furiously began attacking about 30 hundred of the men that came down on the ship. Causing each one to fall into the water with twenty to thirty scars. (Sanji is sooo not in a good mood…:D)

"Yeah, go get them Sanji!"said Usopp

"Nice job, Sanji-sama!"cheered Lucia

"Thank you, Lucia-swan~!" Sanji said as he paused in midfight. However, just as he did, a dark figure came behind him.

"Sanji-sama, look out!" Lucia cried out as she tried warning the cook. Turning around, Sanji was prepared to defend himself. That is, until he realized that he couldn't move!

"Wh-What the-?!" Sanji yelled as he tried to free himself from the mysterious spell.

"Can't move huh?" said Domovio as he loomed over the cook "That's because of my sea fruit power, the Numu Numu no Mi Fruit. It allows me to nullify the powers of both people and other sea fruit powers. It also gives me the ability to counter against people with weapons, making their swords or guns useless against me!"

"_That's just great!" _Sanji yelled in his head. With no choice but to stand there like a sitting duck, Domovio knocked Sanji down. The blonde couldn't defend himself from the attack so he immediately fell unconscious. The last thing he heard was the soul-tearing scream of Lucia calling out his name.

Cliff hanger! :P Stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	9. Chapter 9

Had to redo it, too many typos :P

Chapter 8- Domovio, The Untouchable Man In All The Seas!

_Wh-What happened? _Sanji asked himself as he tried to figure out what was going on. All the blonde could see was darkness. The only thing he could feel was a cold, hard floor beneath him. So he definitely wasn't on the Going Merry anymore. As his continued to wake up from his sub conscious, he could hear the clanging of metal and a voice shouting in the distance.

_S…ji!...Sa…ji!..._ called out a voice as he felt two hands grab his shoulders, shaking him into consciousness

"_Is someone is calling my name?..."_

_Sa…ji!...WAKE UP, SANJI!_

And suddenly, the darkness faded as two figures came into view. In front of him was Luffy, who was currently shaking him up like crazy and next to him was Usopp, who tried to pull the straw hat boy away from him.

"Luffy! He's awake!" Usopp said as he tried to pull the boy off Sanji

"Sanji, you're awake!" Luffy exclaimed as the blonde that was finally awake.

"Yeah, I see that…" Sanji said as he looked around the room. It appeared to be a cell. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Well after Domovio took you down, he used his powers on us and took us all in as his prisoners" Usopp answered

"What happened to Merry?"

"He took her too!" Usopp said, his hands forming into fists as the memory came to mind "They took her out of the ocean and put her in Domovio's inventory. I heard the guards say that he has a collection of boats in there…"

"Wait, where's Lucia?" asked the blonde when he realized that one person was missing

"They took her somewhere else" Usopp answered

"Do you know where they took her?" Sanji asked the Sharp Shooter

"No, not really. We didn't get a chance to see where they were taking her when—Sanji, what are you doing?!" asked Usopp in mid sentence as the blond began kicking the bars of the cell.

"What does it look like?!" Sanji answered before he went back to kicking the cell "I'm trying to get us out of this place!" Sanji said in between his kicks.

"You can't kick the door down!"

"You just watch me!" answered Sanji as he resumed kicking the door. Who was he to say what he could or could not do? Just then, as Sanji kicked the door, the cell began to shake, letting off a huge bolt of electricity that caught the cook off guard.

"Sanji!" yelled the two concerned friends as electricity began to circulate the blonde's body.

"You ok Sanji?" Asked Luffy as the chef tried getting back up.

"I'm fine" grunted Sanji as he stood up. The electric shock from the cell bars really numbed his body, making it hard to stand still.

"Looks like we are going to have to try a different way to get out of here" replied Usopp.

It was then that he noticed that there was a key on a table not that far from him! But there were two things preventing him and his friends from freedom. One was the dangerous cell bars and second was that the key was too far out of their reach.

"_If only there was a way to get that key…we could ask Luffy to stretch his arm, but since his powers aren't working right now…" _Usopp thought as he tried to find a solution to their problem. Then it hit him!

"Hey guys, I think I have an idea!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Meanwhile, Zoro and Nami were trying to look for land. After being pushed away from their friends by Domovio's cannon ball, the two straw hats found themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean.

"We should head South" suggested Nami "I remember when I was checking the map, that there was at least one over there"

Nodding his head, Zoro agreed. That is, until he realized something was missing. He remembered feeling like something had fallen off of him when they were blown away by the cannon. Checking his swords, it was then that he realized what it was. Sandai Kitetsu was missing!

"Damn it, my sword's missing!" replied Zoro

"Forget about your dumb sword, we can get a new one on the island!" yelled back Nami. However, just when the words were uttered out of her mouth, Zoro gave her the scariest glare that even made her want to run away and hide.

"**DON'T **_**EVER **_**CALL SANDAI 'DUMB', AGAIN!**" warned Zoro

"O-Okay…" Nami answered quietly

Though the Navigator agreed not to do it again, it still didn't make Zoro feel better. Not only did he lose his sword but he also lost Hikari. How could he be so stupid? If anything bad happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. He needed to go back and find her, no matter what.

Noticing the swordsman's discomfort, Nami took a long sigh before speaking

"You know, I think I saw one of the guys go after your sword as we were being pushed away by the wave" replied Nami

"Are you sure?" asked Zoro

"Yeah, I'm not sure who but I did see one of them go down and pull it out. I could tell because I saw something shimmering where the ship was" answered Nami.

Zoro only nodded his head in reply. Though he didn't say much, Nami could tell that Zoro was happy knowing that his sword was safe and sound. Well, safer than it would have been had it been stuck under the ocean floor.

"Alright then, let's go find that island" suggested Nami as the two swam towards the nearest island. It took them about hour or so to find the island. And it wasn't because Zoro kept leading them off because he didn't go ahead of her. Zoro was very quiet throughout the whole trip, so he only followed Nami. She guessed that he was possibly worried about their nakama. The real reason was because as they swam towards the island, a couple of fishermen on a boat saw them and believed that their intentions were to harm the islanders. When Nami explained that they were tourists who had been forced to jump ship when the cruise ship got taken over by pirates, the fishermen took pity on them and took them to their island where they were given a set of new clothes and a hot meal. The fishermen were brothers named Alex, Mark, and Leon. They apologized to Zoro and Nami for the confusion because they rarely got visitors at their island. If this is how they treated all of their guests, then Nami could see why.

The name of the island was Makop. It was a small island with very few locals.

The restaurant Zoro and Nami were treated to was a sea food eating place called 'Taste of the South Blue'. It was a descent restaurant and the food they were given was really good.

"Do you like the soup? It's Mel's best recipe" asked Mark

Both Nami and Zoro were given hot sea food soup with a loaf of bread. The soup was delicious, but taken a glance at Zoro, she noticed that the swordsman didn't eat much.

"It's really good, thank you so much for taking us here" replied Nami, trying to be civil

"Think nothing of it" answered back Leon before ordering another bowl full for himself.

"So who was the low-life pirate who did this to you guys?" asked Alex as he took a bite out of his bread

"Well, we don't know much about him, or his intentions, but we do know his name is Domovio, Do you know who he is?"Asked the curious Navigator. However, at the mention of the name 'Domovio', all of the people in the restaurant hid in fear. Even the fishermen dropped all their food.

"What's wrong with them? All I did was ask who 'Domovio' was!" replied Nami, only to get a shrilled shriek from the town's people. However, one of the town's citizens, who wasn't as absurdly scared as the rest of her islanders, walked up to the curious crew.

"Come with me" answered the blonde haired girl as she led the two pirates out of the restaurant.

"What do you two want to know about him?" Asked the little girl.

"Well, we'd like to know who he is and where we could go to find him. He took both our ship and 4 of our nakama." Replied the Navigator.

"Its best you not go after them." Advised the little girl

"If you're worried about our safety, then don't worry. Our nakama are much stronger than you think-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN!" Interrupted the blonde-haired girl.

"I know you guys are strong. I could tell when you two came inside my dad's restaurant. But strength isn't going to help you! No matter how strong you guys may be, his powers will allow him to leave you all powerless!"

"What do you mean?" asked Nami

"Domovio ate the sea fruit called Numu Numu no Mi Fruit. It renders his opponents defenseless. They can't attack him when he uses his powers against them. It even works against other sea fruit users. He used to be a marine who grew up here. However, something happened to him. He became a pirate turned against us! Treating the islanders badly for no reason!" the little girl replied

"My father, Mel, went up against Domovio. He created a force field out of the shells and pearls he found. It worked for a while, but Domovio still won. Now my father's in his cell too…"admitted the little girl, who began crying now.

"Hey, don't cry" said Nami as she tried calming the little girl down. "What's your name, by the way?"

"E-Emily…" replied the girl

"Well Emily, don't you worry. We're going to get your dad and our friends back" answered Nami

"How? I just told you that he's unstoppable!"Answered Emily

"True, but you also told us a way to beat him" answered back Nami

"Now, do you know where they dock the fishermen boats around here?..."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Say hello to your new home" answered one of Domovio's pirates as he took Lucia to the ship's kitchen. Apparently, some of the people that were locked up by Domovio were assigned as chefs.

"Hope you all get along with your new co-workers" replied the pirate before taking out his whip "Now get to work!" yelled the man as whip hit the air loudly.

Trying to not get in trouble before she found a way to save her friends, Lucia just went to the sink to wash her hands. It was when she was drying her hands that she noticed a short-blonde haired man sitting on a barrel, peeling some potatoes. He seemed very sad. Lucia could tell by the way he was staring off into space that he was thinking of someone he cared about.

"Hey, I said to get to work!" yelled the pirate when Lucia didn't move from the sink.

"S-Sorry!" replied Lucia before getting a potato herself and peeled it. When the pirate left the room to check on the other cell mates, the man she had been staring at nudged her shoulder.

"Young lass, what's your name?" asked the blonde-haired man

"My name is Lucia" answered Lucia

"The name's Mel" answered back the man "What is a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"My nakama and I were captured by Domovio and his crew"

"You mean you guys were the pirates that Domovio took on just now?" asked Mel,

"Yes, did word spread here?"

"Are you kidding me? These pirates are still complaining with their tails between their legs about how one of your men took down a bunch of their crew mates"

"That was Sanji. He took down a lot of Domovio's pirates before Domovio used his powers on him" answered Lucia

"So you've experienced the effect of his powers?" asked Mel

"Yeah. Right after he knocked out Sanji-sama, he used his powers on my friends and I so he could lock us up and take our ship." Replied Lucia

"Yes, Domovio has been abusing his powers a lot. He believes that just because his powers help render his enemies defenseless, that he is invincible" responded Mel "He has gone too far. Taking over our island, making everyone live in fear, and abusing his powers to get what he wants, he needs to be stopped!"

Lucia couldn't help but feel like she was living a déjà vu moment when Mel said that. She felt like she was in Mel's situation before, or at least, said the same things he said just now. _"But where?..."_ Lucia wondered as she tried finding the source of that blurry memory.

"Mel! Mel!" yelled a black-haired young man

"What is it, Jack?" asked Mel when the youth ran up to him

"Domovio! He plans to go back to Makop Island!" responded Jack

"Are you sure about that Jack?"

"Yes, I heard his crew members talking about how he had unfinished business there!" answered Jack

"The only ones with unfinished business here are all those who fought for the freedom of our island!" replied Mel "We are going to get out of here by tonight! Is that understood?"

"Yes!" replied all the captive islanders

"We are going to get of this ship and protect our island, no matter the cost!" replied Mel

"But how are we going to do it?" asked one of the islanders

"We'll escape when the pirates take their breaks at 6" Mel said before turning to Lucia

"Lucia, I need a big favor out of you, will you do it?" asked Mel

Nodding her head, Lucia said "Of course, what do you want me to do?"

"I need you to take the key from the pirate that was watching over us. We'll spike his drink so that he is too drunk to see straight. When you go to serve his meal, you need to take the key away from him. Understood?" asked Mel

"Yes, I'll do whatever it takes to get you all out of here. And to free my nakama!..."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After agreeing to help Emily save her island, the little girl showed the two straw hats where the fishermen boats were. Many of them appeared to be broken. As though they hadn't been fixed in years.

"So these are the fishermen boats, huh?" replied Nami

"Yeah, but we haven't use some of these boats because Domovio would destroy them within sight" replied Emily "These are the only ones that have survived"

"Why are they different from the boat the three fishermen used to bring us here?" asked Nami

"Those boats are registered through Domovio. You have to pay him 10 million beli to even have one and can only use it from 3 in the morning till 6 in the afternoon" answered Emily

"Are there any nets or buckets around here?" asked Nami

"Yes, they are over there" said Emily as she pointed at the net and buckets near the ocean.

"Perfect" said Nami as she ran up to the fishermen tools.

"Zoro, go fill this bucket with water" demanded Nami as she gave the swordsman the bucket.

"Why?" asked Zoro

"I have an idea" responded Nami before she called Emily over "Emily, you and I should go get some sea shells"

"Why do you want to collect sea shells at a time like this?!" asked Emily until she understood the Navigator's plan "Oh, now I get it!"

"Yep" said Nami as she started collecting some sea shells. "If we collect enough sea shells and leave them in a bucket of the ocean's water, they can be strong enough to weaken Domovio, just like they did with your father"

"I get it, since he's a sea fruit user, the ocean water weakens him" responded Zoro as he brought the bucket's of ocean water.

"Yes. And since sea shells and pearls are usually in the ocean, they can weaken fruit users as well!"

"So does this mean we are going to defeat Domovio?" asked Emily happily

"Yes, but we still need a plan to get near the ship, so this is what we are going to do…"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was almost time for the plan to commence. The pirates were eating their meals as the locked up islanders cooked the food. When the pirate that had been watching over them returned, Lucia immediately went up to him to serve his meal.

"Here you go, Sir" answered Lucia as she handed him the meal "And here's you drink"

"No thanks, I don't drink wine anymore" replied the pirate as he ate his meal. Great, now how was she going to get the key? Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"You know, I've never seen a pirate so rugged and handsome as you are" replied Lucia

"R-Really?" asked the pirate who was blushing now.

"Absolutely, and those muscles, do you work out?" asked Lucia as she grabbed an item and hid it behind her.

"Of-Of course! No true pirate can be a skinny weakling, you know" replied the pirate, who was enjoying in the self gloating.

"I-I wanted to ask, though I have no experience…" replied Lucia as she tried to make the next sentence as flirty as possible (and not throw up in her mouth while saying it) "But is it alright if I kiss you?" asked Lucia

"Well, of course you can!" replied the pirate who awaited the kiss. However, instead of receiving a kiss from the shy beauty, he got knocked over the head with a wine bottle

"Opps!" said Lucia, making the islanders laugh in the process

"That was a great show there lass!" replied Mel as he tried to calm down his laughter. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was already 6 o'clock and that all of the pirates that had been eating had already left to go on their breaks.

"Now it's time that we got things started" responded Mel as he took the key and opened the locked door.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Please let me go! Please let me go!" cried out Usopp as two pirates ran into the room.

"Be quiet, prisoner! No requests allowed!" answered one of the pirates

"But I really have to go!" cried Usopp louder

"You can hold it until it's your turn to go, like everyone else" responded the pirate

"You don't understand! I'm going to explode if I don't go right now!" yelled Usopp

"He means it, if you don't let him go, this whole place is going to stink worse than a dumpter" replied Sanji

"Fine, but make it quick" answered the pirate as he went to open the door. The minute the cell opened, Luffy and Sanji knocked them both out. Taking the key from them, they locked the pirates in their place and left the cell room.

"Hey get back here!" yelled the pirates

"Sorry guys, but we really need to go!" answered Usopp as the three ran out of the room.

"We need to find Lucia" said Sanji

"Yeah, and Merry so we can get out of here!" Usopp said, "I remember hearing the pirates say that the ships were put in the fifth floor!" explained Usopp. Suddenly, he noticed that someone was missing.

"Luffy, where are you going?!" yelled Usopp as the captain ran the other direction

"Zoro's sword! Domovio took it from me when he locked us up! I have to get it back!" yelled back Luff as he continued to run up the stairs

"What about our plan?!" asked Usopp

"I'll meet you guys at the ship, after I get Zoro's sword back!" responded Luffy

"But!—" Usopp said

"Forget about it" replied Sanji "We'll just meet him at the ship"

"But Sanji!"

"He's not going to come until he gets the Marimo's sword back, right?" asked Sanji

"Yeah, but-"

"So let him already, let's go get Lucia!" said Sanji who speed away

"Wait, Sanji! Don't leave me behind!" cried out Usopp as he tried to keep up with the blonde.

"Hey, what are you guys doing out of your cells!" replied a voice. It was Domovio's pirates. Sanji and Usopp were forced to stop in their tracks as Domovio's crew mates began to corner them at all sides.

"Oh no!" cried out Usopp

"Now surrender and maybe we won't punish you guys for your little trick" replied a pirate

"As if I'm going back there!" answered Sanji as he began to attack the pirates that were in his way. Some tried to use guns and swords, which was a stupid thing to do if you didn't know Sanji Blackleg. Just like with the others, Sanji knocked the pirates clear out of his path as he continued to search for their missing crew mate.

"Sanji, are you crazy?" yelled Usopp as he ran behind the blonde

"Does it look like I care? All that matters to me is that I find Lucia!" replied the blonde. Suddenly, they heard a voice calling out their names in the distance.

"Did you hear that?" asked Usopp

"Yeah, I think I did…" said Sanji.

"Sanji-sama! Usop-san!" cried out a voice

Turning around, they saw that it was Lucia, who was with a bunch of other trapped islanders.

"Lucia! Are you alright?" asked Sanji as he approached the girl

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to Mel" replied the girl happily

"Mel?" asked Sanji

"Yes, he helped me get out!"

Giving the man a smile, Sanji answered "Thanks for keeping her safe"

Mel shook his head, "It was no problem, but we need to get out of here and fast"

"If we can find Merry, we can take you all with us" replied Usopp

"Mel knows where the ships are" answered Jack

"Cool, can you lead us the way?" Usopp asked Mel

"Of course, follow me…"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

All of the pirates on Domovio ship were taking their breaks below the deck of the ship, where all the collected pirate ships were held. Each doing as they pleased as they relaxed their tired muscles or chit chatted with their crew mates.

"Good way to end a day, right guys?" asked one of the pirates

"Yeah, nothing like drinking some booze after snatching some boats from lame pirates!"

As they continued to drink and take some z's, they failed to notice the figures that entered.

"I can't wait till we get to that dumb island"

"Yeah, making the people do what we want, when we want! It's like we are kings down there!"

"And their islanders are too scared to ever lay a finger on us…"

"I fail to agree" answered a different voice. Turning around, the pirates found their prisoners standing near the robbed boats.

"Oh please, are we suppose to be afraid of you?" asked one of the pirates tauntingly

"I don't know, you tell me?" asked another voice. When the pirates saw that the person who responded was the same guy responsible for injuring more than 200 of their men, they began to whimper in fear.

Not a few seconds later, every single one of Domovio's pirates were locked up in a cell. Such sweet revenge, right?

"Alright, let's all get on the ship and get outta here!" replied Usopp as the islanders got themselves comfortable on the ship. There was a button near the ships that was their ticket out of here. Usopp was about to press it when he noticed that Mel had gotten off the ship.

"Mel, aren't you coming with us?" asked Usopp

"Not yet, my friends, I have unfinished business to take care of…" replied Mel

"Mel, don't take him on on your own, let me come too!" replied Jack, along with the others who begged Mel to come with them or let them fight alongside with him.

"I appreciate it friends, I really do. But this is my battle" and with that, Mel pressed the button, sending the islanders and the pirates out into the ocean blue.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After a series of wrong turns and fighting every pirate that got in his way, Luffy finally made it to Domovio's office.

"Well, well, well" replied Domovio once the straw hat boy entered his office "What can I do for you, my boy?"

"Give me back my friend's sword!" yelled Luffy

"You mean this sword?" asked Domovio as he held out the Kitetsu sword "Such a wonderful katana, how did your friend find it?"

"Just shut up and give it back!"

"Hm...I don't think so, Straw Hat Boy, this sword is staying with me" replied Domovio smugly

"Why you-!" replied Luffy, however, he couldn't move or do anything because right then, Domvio decided to use his Numu Numu no mi powers. Preventing Luffy from even able to take a step further.

"D-Damn it!..." cursed Luffy as he tried to move

"Quite an unfortunate situation you put yourself in. Don't say you weren't warned…" replied Domovio as he lifted the Kitetsu against the straw hat pirate. However, just as he use it, he felt the sword hit the ground hard. As though it became heavier…

"What the—How come this sword won't let me pick it up?" wondered Domovio outloud as he tried lifting the sword.

However, as he was preoccupied with trying to lift the sword up, he failed to notice the person creeping behind him.

"Hey Domovio!" replied a voice

Turning around, Domovio found himself drenched in water.

"What the—What is the meaning of this?" Domovio demanded to know

"Don't you remember me, Domovio?" replied the figure

"You—you're the man that almost defeated me!" yelled Domovio as the figure revealed himself

"That's right Domovio, it's your old pal, Mel and I've come back to finish what we started.."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Are you sure you guys are going to be okay by yourselves?" asked Emily as the two pirates climbed on the fishermen boat their friends Alex, Mark, and Leon let them borrow.

"Don't worry your head there, we'll be fine!" answered Nami

"We'll be back with our friends and your dad before you know it" replied Zoro, which made the girl much less nervous

"Alright then, I'll wait for you all here" replied Emily as the boat set sail

"See you later, Emily!" yelled Nami

"Good luck!" replied back Emily

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The two men agreed that it was best that they had their fight at the very place where everything started, at Makop Island. They took one of the spare boats and sailed near the docks. Mel brought Luffy along with him too, telling him not to worry about his other crew mates because they were able to escape the huge ship, to which, Luffy thanked him for helping his nakama. Domovio still couldn't hold the sword, but for some reason, when Luffy went to pick it up, he was able to lift it as though it were the lightest thing in the world. Which didn't sit well with Domovio…

"Let's end things here and now" replied Domovio

"You first, mate" replied Mel, which angered Domovio. Pulling out their swords out, the two commenced their battle. Domovio seemed to have the upper hand, but Mel would always surprise him every now and then. They both stood their grounds though, neither of them allowing to show the other that they had enough.

As the two battled, Luffy was getting impatient. He wanted to join the fight too! But with his powers not working, he had no idea what to do!

Suddenly, he saw a figure coming out of the sword. It looked like it was a girl.

"_Am I seeing things?..."_ wondered Luffy,

"_What you see isn't an illusion, Luffy. My name is Hikari, and I'm the guardian of the Sandai Kitetsu…" _replied the Spirit of the Sword

"_You're a guardian? That's soo cool!..."_

"_Domovio couldn't use me against you because he didn't' have my permission. However, I do give permission to you"_

"_What, really?" _asked Luffy

"_Yes, but my strength is just as affected by his sea fruit power abilities as everyone else"_ admitted Hikari

"_Then how can I use you to defeat him?" _asked Luffy

"_I believe our solution to our problem is quite near us" _replied Hikari as pointed towards where the fishermen boats where. Looking in the direction that she was pointing, Luffy saw that there was a little girl. She seemed to be watching their whole fight.

"Oi, you there!" Luffy yelled

"Sh!" shushed the girl as she checked to see if the two men noticed anything. Seeing that they were still too caught up in their battle, the little girl called the boy over to her.

"Who are you? And why did you come here with my dad?"

"Mel's your father?" asked Luffy

"Yes, my name is Emily and Mel is my father. Now who are you?"

"My name's Luffy and your dad pretty much helped me get out of a sticky situation" responded Luffy

"Luffy? You must be Nami and Zoro's captain, right?"asked Emily

"Yeah, where did you see them and where can I find them now?" Luffy asked the girl

"They went to go get you! They're heading now to Domovio's ship!"

"Really? Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to wait till they get here, huh?" replied Luffy as though the information didn't worry him "But I really want to fight that jerk over there!"

"If you are going to fight Domovio all by yourself, then you're crazy" replied Emily "Luckily for you, I know his weakness"

"Really, you do?" asked Luffy. So that girl from the sword was right.

"Yep, come with me"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Everyone's got a plan, but will their plans be enough to take down Domovio? And will the Straw Hat Pirates be able to find each other. Find out on the next chapter! Sorry if the chapter was boring, I tried the best I could.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: One Piece nor any other anime character or ideas I add to this fic are mine. Please support the official release.

Chapter 9- Defeat the invincible man, Domovio!

"Do you see the ship anywhere?" Nami asked the swordsman

"Nope, not yet…" replied Zoro, however, just then, a familiar ship came into view

"Is that?..."

"Yes, it's Merry!" replied Nami before waving at the ship

"Hey guys! We are over here!"

"Nami! Zoro! You guys are ok!" yelled back Usopp as the ships came closer.

"How'd you guys get out of Domovio's ship?" asked Zoro.

"It's a long story, hop on and will tell you on the way"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"There!" replied Emily as her masterpiece was done

"I don't know… I feel kind of silly in this" replied Luffy. Emily had made him an armor out of the sea shells around the island to protect him against Domovio's powers.

"It's not a fashion trend, its suppose to help you against Domovio!" replied Emily

"Now hold still…" said the girl as she dunked water all over the boy.

"Ah! Cold!"

"Okay, I think you're ready now!" replied Emily, however, just when she said that, she heard a loud thud. Turning towards the sound, she saw that it was her father that made the noise. He was on the ground, with no sword, completely at Domovio's mercy.

"No, dad!" yelled Emily

However, Luffy was quicker than Domovio, and made it time, squaring the man right in the face!

"Why you little!" cursed Domovio

"If you want to challenge somebody, then fight me!"

"With pleasure!" answered Domovio as he and Luffy began their fight. They were toe to toe as they fought one another. Though Luffy had no idea how to fight with a sword, Hikari did all the work for him, letting him know when to swing and when to block. And with Luffy being protected with the sea shells and smell of the ocean water, he had the upper hand on Domovio. However, the effect of the sea shells began to wear off as Luffy started to become dry. Catching the straw hat captain unguarded, Domvio knocked his sword into the ocean and knocked the wind out of him as he punched the boy in the stomach (Luffy's major weakness…)

"_Oh no, Zoro's Sword!" _yelled Luffy within his mind as the sword went flying._  
_

"Times up, Luffy!" yelled out Domovio as he attacked the defenseless captain. However, just when the blade was about to make contact with the boy's skin, something appeared. Preventing the attack from doing any damage to the boy's body.

"What the heck?..." Domovio said in shock when he saw that the thing was actually a girl! In the captain's place, she had taken the hit.

"I-I won't let you...hurt L-Luffy!..." muttered the girl with the bit of strength she had. The slash from the sword was gruesome. Making a huge slash from the girl's shoulder down to her torso. Blood seeping from her wounds as she fought to stand up.

_"It's amazing that she's not dead yet..."_ thought Domovio as he stared at the hard headed girl.

"Hikari, are you alright?" asked Luffy, though Domovio's powers prevented him from getting up.

"I-I'm o-k...don't worry about me...I'll take things from here..."

"Oh really?" Asked Domovio "And exactly how are you going to take things from here? You can barely stand up right now..."

Taking advantage of the girl's injured state; Domovio began mercilessly attacking the girl. Hikari was lucky enough to dodge the man's attacks, but her luck soon ran out when the blade came in contact with her arm, causing her to fall and hit the beach floor.

"Ready to give up now?" asked Domovio as he approached the injured girl

"_What am I gonna do? If I don't do something, not only will he defeat me, but Luffy will be a gonner too!..." _

It was then that she noticed something gleaming in the ocean water.

"_Is that my?..."_

"Say Goodbye!" said Domovio as he prepared another attack. However, just when he made his move, something kicked his legs. It was a little girl.

"You leave them alone!" replied a blonde haired little girl

"Emily, get away from him!" yelled Mel

"Is this your daughter, Mel" asked Domovio as he lifted the girl by her collar

"LET ME GO!" yelled Emily as she struggled to get out of the man's grasp

"Oh, I'll let you go…" answered Domovio as he drew out his sword "I'll let you go with everyone else who dares to go against me; to a cold, bloody, watery grave!"

"NO!" cried out Emily's father. However, Domovio was stopped from his wicked actions when a sword pierced his hip.

"Ah!" yelled the pirate in pain.

"How do you like it when you're the one defenseless and in pain?" asked a voice darkly. Turning around, he saw that it was the same black-haired girl he had been fighting earlier.

"How did you?—"

"Remember when you threw the Sandai Kitetsu in the water? That was a terrible mistake for you…" answered the Spirit of the Kitetsu sword

"P-Please, I-I'll do anything!" begged the pirate

"Anything?"

"Yes, yes, anything!" answered the pirate

"Put the girl down" demanded the Spirit

Putting the girl down, Domovio put his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, I put the girl down"

"Good" answered Hikari "Now brace yourself"

"What do you-?" but Domovio was cut off completely when Hikari sent the man blasting off into the air with an energy attack she learned to do when she fought Lucia.

"Yeah! He's gone!" cried out Emily happily as she hugged her father. Turning towards her hero, Emily responded "Thank you, miss!"

However, just when the two were celebrating, the Guardian of the Kitetsu fell straight to the ground.

"Miss? Are you Okay?" asked Emily as she tried shaking the girl to wake up, but she wouldn't…

"Oh no!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"We have to go find Luffy!" said Zoro as the ship made way towards Makop Island.

"Yeah, Luffy still can't use his powers, so he can only stand against Domovio for so long" answered Usopp. Just then, something fell on the Going Merry. It was Domovio!

"Oh, my head hurts!" yelled Domovio as he rubbed his head. However, just then, he felt an evil aura around him. Looking around him, he saw that he was in the Straw Hat's ship, and his crew members didn't look too friendly….

"Look who came to the party" replied Sanji

"Yeah, and we were worried we wouldn't find you…" added Lucia

"What-What are you all going to do?" asked Domovio, scared to know the answer

"Don't worry, Domovio. We are just going to cool you off…." Answered Nami as she and the rest of the crew members got a bucket filled with water.

"**NO!"**

**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

After giving Domovio all the bumps and bruises they could give, the islanders personally put the man inside his own jail cell that was on the island, freeing the other islanders that were imprisoned there too. They even captured the few surviving pirates that were still on Domovio's ship. The islanders rejoiced and cheered at the defeat of their tormentor. Before the man was placed in jail, the Straw Hats demanded to know what had happened prior to when he landed on their ship. But when they asked an explanation, Domovio started to panic and utter sentences that made no sense. Knowing they weren't going to get a clear answer, they went in search for the captain.

"Luffy! Where are you Luffy?" yelled Usopp as he tried to search for the captain, but couldn't find him anywhere.

"Let's all split up!" suggested Nami as they broke apart and searched around the island. Hoping they could find their captain alive and in one piece.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"_Luffy, where could you have gone?" _wondered Zoro as he searched for the Straw Hat boy. He couldn't believe that Luffy, knowing that he couldn't use his powers, would still go after Domovio to get his sword back. He felt grateful, but at the same time, quite guilty. If he had kept better care of his sword, neither Luffy nor Hikari would be in the situation they were in right now. He just hoped that when he found them that they would still be okay. Suddenly, Zoro felt like something was calling him. Not a voice, but it felt as strong as one. It felt more like a force. But for some reason, it didn't give Zoro a good feeling at all. Following where the invisible force lead him, Zoro found himself near the docks.

But why would the weird force call him here? Looking around, he spotted two figures walking in his direction. It was Emily and her father, Mel! And around Mel's shoulder was Luffy

"Zoro!" called out Emily when she spotted the swordsman

"Emily?"

"We found your captian! He's unconscious at the moment but he's still alive. However…"

"However, what?" Zoro asked panickly "Emily, tell me!"

"Well, after Luffy fell unconscious, another person took his place and fought Domovio. She defeated him,….but she took too many attacks. I think she's really hurt!" explained the girl

"Show me where this person is" said Zoro as Emily lead him towards the unconscious fighter

"_Please, please, don't let it be her!" _Zoro begged in his mind as Emily lead him. However, all his begging couldn't take away what he saw before him. In front of him, was indeed Hikari. She looked completely worn out. Her body was covered in large, deep cuts made by Domovio's sword. Her skin looked really pale and blood continued to seep out of her.

"_This-this is all my fault! If I hadn't, If I hadn't let Kitetsu fall in the water!..."_

"I'm sorry Zoro, I really am!..." replied the girl when she saw the shocked and pained look on the swordsman's face. "We were going to go get somebody so that we could take her to a doctor, cause dad's too weak to take two people with him…"

"Yes. Why don't you take the boy while I take the girl" replied Mel as he gave Luffy over to Zoro. The three of them walked towards one of local doctors. He was able to clean both Luffy's and Hikari's wounds and dress them. He said that Luffy would wake up any minute, but he had no good news for the girl. The three were saddened when they heard this, but not as much as Zoro was. Mel noticed how he would look over at the unconscious girl as though he hurt the girl himself. Feeling that he owed the girl for saving his daughter's life, Mel told Zoro about a doctor not too far from their island. It was a cold island, but it had the best doctor around.

"Listen to me; take the girl to Dr. Hiluluk. He's a good friend of mine and one dandy of a doctor. If anyone can heal her, it's him" replied Mel.

"Thanks, I'll do that" replied Zoro. Zoro asked Mel if he and Emily could check on the two patients while he went to go get his friends. Emily took advantage of the time to tell her father how she did her best to keep the restaurant going, to which, Mel patted her back, saying that he was proud of his strong little girl. Meanwhile, Zoro found the straw hat crew and told them Luffy was alright and that he was in the clinic getting checked up. However, he knew he had to tell them about Hikari's existence in order to convince the Straw Hat Crew to take her to the island where the doctor was. So Zoro told them everything. From when Zoro got the sword at LougeTown to when Hikari fought Domovio not that long ago. However, he omitted the fight between her and Lucia and told them that a rouge pirate came into their ship instead and that the reason Lucia had no memories was because she tried stopping the man, but fell unconscious when he attacked her. The crew members thought that Zoro was crazy at first, but when they saw the body of the Guardian and were told about her fight against Domovio by Mel and his daughter, they had no choice but to believe Zoro's story.

"So that's why you got so offensive" replied Nami, making the swordsman blush at the memory

"Y-Yeah…" replied Zoro as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well, since what you say is true, we have no other choice but to take her to this doctor…" answered Nami before turning towards Mel

"Where can be find this island?" asked Nami

"Just keep going south from here, you'll find the island in 2 hours, tops" replied Mel

"Hurry guys, before she gets worse" replied Emily

"Right! Guys, let's go!" and with that, after saying their goodbyes to the islanders, the Straw Hat Crew got the two patients into the ship and set sailed towards the island, hoping that they made it before it was too late.

Hikari's life hangs in the balance. Will they make it? Or will this be her end?


	11. Chapter 11

Hey Guys, long time no see,ne? Sorry about the long time it took to update, I've been having a lot of homework recently :P But anywho, let's get started with the next chapter.

Disclaimer: One Piece nor any other anime character or ideas (from other anime) I add to this fic are mine. Please support the official release.

Chapter 10-

After receiving directions from the town's people, the Straw Hat Crew made their way towards Drum Kingdom. Sadly, the Going Merry didn't have a room to place wounded patients, so they had to use Nami's room as a clinic for the injured Captain and Guardian. Luffy was currently sleeping; so besides checking up on him, the crew members had nothing to worry about. The Guardian of the Kitetsu Sword however…. well, that was a different story…

Had it been any ordinary person been in her place, they'd be dead as a door nail by now. But miraculously, her heart was still beating. All they needed to do was get to the doctor in time. If they could do that, she'd be healed in no time.

With that goal set in mind, the crew was frantic about getting to the island. To them, the sooner their friends got healed, the better….

…

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed under his breath as he put down his weights. He had come up deck to train so he could focus his pent up aggression in a more productive way. Unfortunately, it was of no use. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, his mind continued to drift back to patients currently in the navigator's room.

"This is your fault, all your fault" his mind continued to tell him over and over again.

He couldn't forgive himself. It was his fault that she was in this state in the first place. Had he never allowed himself to separate from the ship, none of this would be happening! Neither Luffy nor Hikari should be in there right now! Luffy should be stuffing his face right now and Hikari should be researching how to return their captain's powers! But no, neither of these things were going to happen. Luffy was out cold while Hikari struggled to stay alive.

Usually Zoro would fight his problems head on. His strength and determination were what got him where he is now. But this time brute strength wasn't going to help his two nakama, and that thought alone made him feel useless. Beyond fighting enemies, he was of no help. All he could do now is wait and hope for the best.

…..

"What are you doing right now, Usopp-San?" Questioned Lucia. Since the minute they got on the ship, he seemed to be inspired with a certain little project he came up with.

"Wait just one second" replied Usopp as he was too preoccupied with finishing his project. "Let's see...put this here...and that there...Yes! Its done!" Usopp declared as he showed his creation.

"Behold, the Great Usopp's ultimate weapon! The GUC- 01!"

"GUC-01?" asked Lucia

"Yeah, the Great Usopp's Cannonball no. 1! Gotta make my name big somehow!" replied the sharpshooter

"Umm, right..." answered Lucia "So what does this weapon do?"

"Glad you asked!" Replied Usopp excitedly. "You remember the pirate that captured us?"

"The jerk who attacked our ship, separated us from our nakama, imprisoned us along with the island, and injured our captain and Zoro's friend?" Lucia replied, venom seeping out of her words as she remembered the cruel man. The anger in her voice though threw Usopp off guard, who made a personal note to never become the violet-eyed female's enemy. "Yeah, I remember him"

"Um, yeah...well you remember the cannon's his ship hit us with, right?" Usopp asked the girl, who received a curt nod as an answer.

"Yeah, they aimed right at our ship, but it didn't receive any damage, it just made it easy for us to fall overboard..."

"Well that's exactly what this is!"

"Wait, you made the same cannon ball that our enemies used against us?" Asked Lucia, completely bewildered "How?When?"

"Well, it was after we got all the imprisoned islanders off Domovio's boat and got Merry back. One of the islanders who used to make the weaponry that the island used when they were at war said that he knew how to make them. He told me the exact materials to use and how to make it!" Usopp replied before lifting the cannon ball again.

"This is just a prototype. But soon I can make more of them, even more powerful than this one!" Usopp said as he boasted over his creation. Lucia didn't find it all to amazing as the sharpshooter did, but seeing the crew mate rejoicing made her happy. It was a relief to smile about something despite the grim circumstances they were in. Looking to her left she saw that Nami had just come out of her bedroom and was walking towards them on the deck.

"Hey Lucia, how are you feeling?" The Navigator asked the brunette.

"I'm fine..." Lucia said happily before going closer to the orange haired woman, her face now serious.

"How are they doing?" Lucia whispered, knowing full well that the swordsman was near them.

"Not doing so well..." Nami answered "None of them have shown any signs of waking up. I redid their bandages. The girl got cut across her chest real deep. The blade almost came close to her heart."

Lucia tried to suppress a shudder when Nami described the girl's injuries. Just imaging the Guardians wounds made her stomach churn.

"Wow, she's very lucky…" commented Lucia.

"Yeah, she is. She's really strong too. Zoro told me that she was able to stand against his swords all by herself." Nami added

"Wait, you mean she took him on?! With no weapons at all?!" Lucia exclaimed, though it was still not loud enough for the others to hear. However, Nami still shushed the girl.

"Shh! We need to be quiet remember!" whispered Nami as she pointed in the swordsman's direction.

"Sorry!" apologized Lucia "It's just that…it's surprising to hear someone take him on…I mean, the only other person I've ever seen fight Zoro-sama, one on one, is Sanji-san." During her time in the ship, Lucia had witnessed the two fight for the most ridiculous things. All it took was one insult or jab at one another's pride and two were at it like dogs and cats. However, for Sanji, Zoro's swords weren't a threat. So day in and day out the two would argue and fight, but none of them injured the other so the crew left them alone to tend to their arguments.

"That is true. Still, as lucky and strong she may be, her wounds are nowhere near treatable. At least, not by us. We can only hope that this Doctor can cure her." Nami commented

"I hope so" replied Lucia "I've never seen Zoro-sama so upset before…"

Nami could only nod in agreement before turning her head to look at Zoro. He had long given up on training. He just laid back on the wall opposite of him, looking out in the ocean with such desperation that it tore the navigator's heart in half.

"Yeah" Nami agreed before turning back to the girl "I'm going to go see how he's doing…"

"Good idea" said Lucia as she observed the swordsman. "Good luck by the way"

"Thanks" Nami replied. Knowing how well Zoro and her got along…she was going to need it…

…..

"Hey there Zoro" Nami replied, trying to sound as nice as possible. However, the frown on Zoro's face proved otherwise.

"What do you want witch?" grumbled Zoro

"Can't a friend come over to see how their other friend is doing?" questioned Nami

"That depends" replied Zoro

"On what?"

"If the two people are friends to begin with" answered the swordsman, to which Nami tried to suppress the annoyed twitch on her eyebrow.  
"Fine then, that's the last time I try helping you!" cried out Nami. However, just as she was about to stomp away in anger, a small, unexpected reply caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Wait" replied Zoro. It was a soft reply, but it was loud enough for the Navigator to hear. "I'm…I'm sorry…" Nami couldn't help but stand there, shock clearly on her face. Did Zoro just apologize? And to her of all people? He definitely was out of it! Then again, Nami wasn't going to let an opportunity like this go by…

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Nami asked teasingly, hopping she could get him to say it again, only to get a glare and angry growl in return.

"You heard me the first time woman, I'm not going to repeat myself!" warned the swordsman. Nevertheless, Nami couldln't help but laugh at the man's expense.

"Alright, alright!" replied Nami as her giggles went down.

"You're a real pain, you know that right?" asked Zoro, though Nami just dismissed the statement with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard this all before" replied Nami, before getting serious again "So then, would you like to talk about what your thinking now?"

"Do we really have to do this?" Zoro asked. He honestly didn't like the idea of talking about his problems to the navigator. He didn't even like talking about his emotions with anyone, let alone to a witch like Nami. But it seemed like the woman wasn't going to be satisfied until he did.

"The only way to get rid of your stress is by talking it out" Nami replied, to which Zoro gave a loud sigh. Either way, what did he have to lose? It's not like there was anything he could do until they made it to the island.

"Did Luffy ever tell you how we meet?" Zoro asked the Navigator.

"No" answered Nami "How did the two of you meet?"

"It was at the Marine Base Island. In the crucifixion yard" answered Zoro as he allowed the memories of that day play out in his mind. "I had gone to the Island after I collected the bounty for a couple of wanted pirates I turned in. I went to go use the money to get something to eat when this prissy boy came in. He was Captain Morgan's son, Helmeppo. He barged in and started to boss the people around; like he owned the place or something. The owner's daughter had enough though and she stood up against him. However, because of her actions, he was going to punish her and her mother. That is, till I made a deal with him. I made a promise if I could go without food or drink for a whole month, he'd forgive the little girl."

"Wow, what a jerk" commented Nami

"Yeah, he was. Even though I kept my deal of the bargain, he was still going to execute me. Luffy knew what his real intentions were though and he made every intention to save me" replied the green-haired man. "It's because of him I'm even alive today. From that day on, I had become a pirate."

"It's funny how none of us wanted to join Luffy's crew, yet because of him, we are all able to make our dreams come true" noted the swordsman

"That is true" answered Nami "Though he can be an idiot at times, Luffy was the only one to let us know that our dreams were worth something"

"That's why I feel so indebted to him. I'd never be able to accomplish my dream if it weren't for him. That's why I feel so weak and useless for not being able to help him, after everything he's done for us…" Zoro replied "I couldn't do a damn, single thing for him, and then Hikari, who barely even knows him, put her whole life on the line to protect him!"

"There's nothing you could have done Zoro. None of this is your fault" answered Nami as she tried to console the green-haired man. Zoro didn't believe the statement for even a second, but he knew the Navigator was just trying to make him feel better.

"Yeah, I guess your right" Zoro agreed as he gave the girl a weak, sad smile. Their conversation ended short though when the sudden sound of footsteps got their attention. Turning around, they saw that it was Lucia. She was holding the Kitetsu sword, but her face had on the most frightened expression they had ever seen.

"What's the matter Lucia?" Nami asked the girl. Lucia made a short reply, but none of them could hear it.  
"What?" Nami asked again.

"D-Dent…" Lucia replied before showing the sword to the two straw hats "I went to go get a jacket from the closet. The sword was next to it, so I went to go move it…until I noticed this…"

Looking at the katana, Zoro and Nami saw that the sword had a huge dent. The Kitetsu blade had a huge crack that ran down the middle. Just looking at it, it looked like the slightest touch would cause it to break.

"It looked so broken, but it's still in one piece" Nami said as she observed the sword. Just then, something Hikari told Zoro came to mind, when they had that battle in her soul room…

[Flash Back]

_Calling out his attack, Zoro unleashed one of his deadliest moves:_

"_**Two Sword Style: Dance of the Deadly Cobra!"**_

_The attack from the swords' wave was meant to give the enemy several cuts and knock the wind out of them. But when he turned around, Zoro was shocked by what he saw. The girl was standing completely still without a single scratch or cut._

_"What the…."_

_"Surprised Roronoa-san?" asked the guardian, pleased by Zoro's state of shock._

_"How-how did you?—"_

_"How did I survive your sword's attacks?" the girl replied, finishing the sentence for him "It is simple, I am the part of this sword and a part of it is a part of me. My body is able to deflect the swords and other weapons because my body responds to their attacks as if it were a sword. You can say that my body is something of an armor"_

[End of Flash Back]

"_If the sword and her are one…then whatever happens to her, is reflected on the sword…"_ Zoro noted to himself. And if the sword breaks should away completely…no, Zoro didn't even want to think about that. Things were bad enough as it is.

"The air is getting dense, looks like we're heading into a fog!" Nami replied. Looking farther ahead, the sea became hidden by all the clouded air. You couldn't see a darn thing even if you tried.

"_Damn it, could things get possibly worse"_ Zoro thought to himself. However, Zoro seemed to have spoken too soon when a something came and rammed the back end of the ship.

"Oh no, it's a pirate ship!" cried out the sharp-shooter. Luckily, since he had his goggles on, he was able to note out the ships Jolly Roger.

"_Great, they just did…"_

…

Who are the pirates? And will they prevent our Guardian's chances of surviving? Sorry for the cliff hangers, I'll try to add more detail in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Short Summary for those who haven't read the story until just recently:

So basically, my story starts off from the part where Zoro gets the Kitetsu Sword in Lougetown. In the sword, lives a spirit who is later named Hikari. Only Zoro knows of her presence at the beginning. The Straw Hats then get a new crew mate named Lucia whom Sanji invited while everyone was walking around Lougetown. Lucia then makes everyone go to sleep and steals Luffy's fruit power. Hikari challenges Lucia to a duel called the Shadow Games, where she learns Lucia's reason for stealing Luffy's power. Her father, Charles, is a marine who abuses his position and is seen as an emperor to the other marines. Lucia's country and family have suffered because of him and Lucia is determined to defeat him, even if it means death. Hikari wins the match and erases Lucia's memories so she won't go off and fight her father. Meanwhile, a rouge pirate takes over the ship and causes the Straw Hats to separate. Hikari reveals herself to Luffy and they both defeat the evil pirate, but now they are both severely injured. Now the StrawHats have to take the injured crew mates to Drum Island to find the doctor Hiluluk to help heal them. Right now, they have hit a strange ship and are afraid that it will stop them from getting to the Island in time.

Chapter 11-

"Is everyone alright?" asked Sanji, who had been in the kitchen checking inventory, until something made the supplies Sanji had worked so hard organizing come crashing down.

"Don't worry, I'm just fine-" replied Usopp, only to get caught off by Sanji

"I WAS TALKING TO NAMI-SWAN AND LUCIA-SWAN!" interjected Sanji

"Just fine, Sanji-kun" replied Nami calmly, "A ship just ran into ours" Looking behind, Sanji noted the source of the commotion.

"Great, just what we needed" commented Sanji as he noted the ship. Hadn't they gone through enough? Couldn't they just reach the island with no problems at all?

Zoro nodded towards the ship, pulling out his sword, "Maybe, but it looks empty".

"Yeah, it does..." remarked Nami. The ship appeared to be lifeless. Not a single soul seemed to be there. However, appearances were deceiving, and the enemy could be silently waiting for a chance to attack. "Still, we can't take our chances. Sanji-kun, Zoro, Usopp, go check out that ship!"

"What?!" Usopp cried out.

"We need to make sure that no one is on that ship. After all, its better to be safe than sorry"

"But why us!" Questioned the sharpshooter. What if there was a crazy mad man waiting for them? He knew Zoro and Sanji could take on whatever foe may come up against them but what if he got separated from them during the search and had to fight the creepy enemy on his own?

"Why can't you two go?"

"Lucia and I have to stay here to hold the fort and check up on the others" Nami answered the sharpshooter.

"But..."

"Suck it up Usopp, it's not like you're going to be able to change her mind anyways" Zoro advised the sharpshooter. He knew very well from experience that once the witch wanted something, there was no point in arguing.

"...but I'm afraid..."

"You'll be more afraid of me if you don't get your butt over there!" Warned Sanji. He was starting to lose his patience with the scardy cat sharpshooter. If he continued to annoy him, Sanji had no problems kicking his sorry butt over the moon!

"Alright then, alright!" Usopp answered, afraid of annoying the blonde any further. Walking up towards the ship though, he noticed something that caught his attention. Around where the ship's masts were, there was a strange shadow. However, he barely had time to tell what it was because just as it appeared, it disappeared.

"Umm...guys, why don't we check on it later, I mean its not like its going any-WHEERRREEE!" Usopp cried out as a sudden force sent him flying over the Merry and hitting mysterious ship's crow's nest, face first. Slowly, and painfully, he landed back down on the other ship's deck.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Cried out Usopp as he rubbed his new injuries. Whatever (or rather whoever) sent him flying lead him right underneath the place he had seen the shadow. In front of him was a door that lead to the inside of the ship. The door had been banged up though, like most of the ship was. Weird marks were clawed on the door, revealing that someone had forced their way inside. The thought of that alone made the hair on Usopp's back stand up. He wanted so badly to run back on the Going Merry, but he knew it was futile. One way or another, he was going to be forced to check out the ship anyhow...

"Guess I have no chose" replied Usopp before making a scared gulping sound. "Here goes nothing..."

….

Zoro just watched as his friend was sent to his possible fate. Usopp was about to chicken out again about going on the stray ship until an angry and rather annoyed Curly-Cue decided to go behind the sharpshooter and kicked the poor man in the direction of the ship.

"Don't you think you over did it?" Zoro asked the chef.

"Nah, besides he was taking forever. I just gave him small push is all..." answered Sanji before walking in the direction of the ship. Zoro only snorted in reply.

"You call that a 'small push'?" asked Zoro sarcastically.

" Like you wouldn't have done the same thing" replied Sanji. Thinking about it, Zoro couldn't help but agree.

" True enough"

...

"A-anybody in here?..." Usopp asked in a quivering voice as he stared at abyss-like hallway. There was barely any light to help one walk through it, and the fact that there was no answer only made Usopp much more scared. Hesitantly, he took a step in and stopped, checking to see any sign of motion. When he felt none, he continued to tip-toe inside. Every once and a while there was a loud creek that made him jump up and want to run away. But then he'd remember the two monsters on his ship, which made him, believe that he was much safer here than he was on the Merry.

Speaking of the Monsters, Zoro and Sanji hadn't arrived on the ship yet. Even though he didn't want to suffer their wrath, he didn't want to take on the enemy alone!

"_Great, now what do I do? I'm toast!"_

"It's okay Usopp, no need to be scared" Usopp told himself as he willed himself to continue searching , "After all, you are the Great Captain Usopp! There is no one around that can defeat you!"

Just then, he felt something hit his back. In fear, Usopp screamed and got into a comical battle position.

"W-W-Who goes there?!" Looking down, he saw a rectangular object a few inches away from his feet. Reaching for the small lit candle near him, he hovered the light near the foreign thing, only to find that it was a portrait.

"Ha! Just a stupid picture!" the long-nosed straw hat said in a more amused voice before kicking the portrait. "And here I thought I had something to be scared of!"

Just as the sharpshooter's confidence rose, he felt a loud, rumbling sound behind him. Turning, he saw as bits and bits of the ship's walls disappear! But it didn't stop there, whatever it was that was destroying the ship was coming straight at him, and fast!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

…

Sanji and Zoro had finally gotten on the ship moments later. They began to investigate to deck of the ship, but found nothing to be of a threat.

"Looks like nothings here…" Sanji noted before pointing at the door near the ship's masts. "Let's check below deck and then report to Nami-san"

"Good idea" agreed Zoro, only to stop himself when he realized something..

"Hey, have you seen Usopp anywhere?" asked the swordsman, only to receive a loud, yet familiar, ear-piercing scream as his answer.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"_Usopp!" _the two thought as they recognized the voice.

Both Zoro and Sanji stood there grounds as they waited for Usopp, and for whatever it was that was scaring him, to come out. The ship seemed to shake about as its occupants ran out towards the main door. As expected, Usopp came running towards them. However, the person stomping behind them took them off guard. A rather huge man with a metal mouth and weird purple hair had appeared, breaking the foundation of the entrance along with him. In his mouth were huge chunks of the ship's walls. The two StrawHats couldn't help but stare in disgust as the man swallowed it all, leaving no screw or piece of wood to waste.

"Now _**that **_was a tasty meal" commented the gluttonous man as he rubbed his belly.

"Ugh, who are you supposed to be Ugly?" Sanji asked

"The name is Wapol, and I am the King of Drum Island!" replied the huge man "And who are you to dare making fun of a great man like myself?"

"Never mind him," replied Zoro before Sanji could get another word in, "Besides, it won't matter much what our names are once we kick your sorry butt out of this ship…"

"Is that so?" questioned Wapol, "Why don't I make you eat those words, hot shot?" And just like that, Wapol opened his mouth and shot out a huge beam!

"Hit the deck!" warned Sanji as each of the StrawHats avoided the beam. Each of them got away from it, but it had left a rather huge hole on the abandoned ship's side.

"Damn it, that was close" however, things weren't over just yet.

"Mahahaha! Stupid Hippos!" remarked the round man, "Did you really think it be easy to take me down?"

Zoro gritted his teeth as he glared the man down. As much as he hated to admit it, he was right. This guy was going to take a lot more effort to defeat. Even so, they had to stop him. If they let him even go much as near the ship, there was no way there were going to make it to the Island and find that doctor!

Unsheathing Wado and Yubashiri, Zoro charged straight at the man.

"_**Two Swords Style: Stricking Cobra!"**_ called out the green-haired man as he struck the man with his blades. However, Wapol counteracted his attacks by summoining two shot cannons out of his arms, his shots sending the man flying. The impact of the blast caused one of Zoro's swords to fall down to the floor.

"Zoro, are you okay?" Usopp asked as he rushed to his friend's aid.

"Didn't I already warn you, hippos?" Wapol remarked. Taking a step forward to finish the job, when his foot came in contact with something.

"Oh, what is this?" Wapol stated as he picked up the dented sword. Examining the finely crafted blade, Wapol realized it was none other than the Cursed Sword, Kitetsu! "No way—How can a commoner hippo like you posses a sword like this?"

Zoro mentally cursed himself when he saw his blade in the ugly man's hands. How could he have been so stupid as to let it out of his sight again?

"Put it down!"  
"Oh, I'll put it down alright" Wapol replied as he leveled the sword near his mouth "Bottoms up…"

"No!"

…

"Ahhh!" screamed the Guardian in pain as she shifted and turned in the bed. She felt like her whole skin had turned to fire, her body submerging more and more in the unforgiving pain.

"What's going on?" Nami called out when she heard the scream. She was shocked to see the state the raven-haired girl was in.

"Calm down, calm down" cooed Nami as she tried to help the girl. Nami decided to check on the girl's fever, only to pull her hand immediately away from the girl's forehead because of how hot the girl's temperature was. She was as hot as a stove!

"Lucia! Go get me a wash cloth, hurry!" the navigator demanded the brunette. Lucia nodded before rushing to the kitchen.

"Oh man..." Nami commented before eyeing out the window. "What could be going on out there?"

….

"Bottom's Up!" yelled Walop before swallowing the blade whole. Once he enhanced the power of the wicked blade, he could not only defeat these nimrods, but also rule the people of Drum Island with an Iron Fist!

Zoro could only watch in horror as the blade came closer and closer to the man's mouth. He couldn't believe it, he was letting her down again!

"No!" yelled Zoro as he forced himself to stop Wapol. However, a certain cook beat him to the punch line.

"**Anti-Manner Kick Course**!" Yelled out Sanji as he kicked Wapol's stomach repeatively, causing the sword that was already half-way in his mouth to pop out!

"Wah!" cried out Wapol before he collapsed on his back.

"Nice one Sanji!" commented Usopp. His cheers died a bit when a submarine emerged out of the water. In it were two much more weird-looking men than the man they were currently fighting. One of them looked like the King's Jester while the other one sported a terrible afro and goatee.

"King Wapol, we have found you!" cried out the Jester happily

"Never mind that, you hippo's let get out of here!" Wapol replied before running towards the submarine and leaving with the two weird men.

"This isn't over, stupid hippo's!" warned Wapol before he and his crew descended within the waters.

"What a weird guy…" commented Usopp, though the others weren't paying much attention to him.

Zoro and Sanji stood right near the place Wapol was, right before he was about to swallowing Kitetsu. The blade was on the floor, horizontally near the cook who had just taken a cigarette out of his pocket to smoke. Zoro made no moves to get it yet. Which was annoying the heck out of Sanji…

"Take the damn sword already, Marimo!" Sanji finally said, as the silence from the swordsman was killing him! However, Zoro just stood still yet again, staring straight at him with a questionable look.

"What?!"

"Why did it matter to you if he ate my sword?" Zoro asked the Cook. It was a simple question right? Didn't he deserve an answer?

"Huh?"asked Sanji, as he was taken aback by the question

"What would it matter to you? It's not like you use it!" Zoro questioned, though he didn't mean for his words to come out that way. He was just so angry at the fact that he let Hikari down again. If it hadn't been for the blonde, who knows what would of happened?

Sanji ,however, took the question differently. The Cook knew that Zoro was a man that liked to do things by himself, which was perfectly fine for him because that was the way he was. Because of his nature, Sanji could trust Zoro to take care of himself and the others incase if they were to separate ever again. But ever since Hikari had joined there group, Sanji had seen a side of Zoro he never thought was possible for the Marimo to feel: fear. The man would break down whenever he passed by the room of the injured occupants. It annoyed and confused Sanji so much that he couldn't help but want to kick Zoro for the defeated puppy looks he kept wearing, but he knew that wouldn't do anything. Right now, more than ever, Zoro needed to know that he isn't alone and that his Nakama was going to be there for him.

"That is a stupid question"

"What?" Zoro asked, a bit peeved at the Cook's words

"We are nakama after all, this is what we do, right?" replied Sanji. "If we don't look out for each other, then who will?"

For once, Zoro couldn't argue with him. Smiling, he finally picked the sword up and placed it safely in its sheath.

"Thanks"

"Don't mention it….the captain would have done the same thing…" responded Sanji

"True." Agreed Zoro

"Besides…" Sanji replied "After that amazing display of heroism, Hikari would definently fall head over heels for me~!"

"What?!" Zoro yelled. What he kidding him? What that the real reason the stupid cook helped him?

"You must be out of your mind! Like she'd ever like a pervert like you!"

"What you say Marimo!" demanded Sanji

"You heard me EroCook!" Zoro challenged him

And like that, Sanji and Zoro got into their usually fights. Usopp could only shake his head in disapproval. Though it was just like them to get into a fight, now wasn't the time for that. They had to get back on the ship and find the doctor!

"Guys, knock it off, already!" Usopp said in his attempt to stop the fight. "We have more important things to do!"

"What's going on around here!" called out the navigator from the Merry. Getting closer to the ship, Usopp called out to Nami.

"Nothing, just Sanji and Zoro fighting!"

"Well tell them both to knock it off before I come over there and beat the sense out of them!"

"Nami-san?" Sanji questioned when he heard the woman's angry voice "Don't worry Nami-swan, I'm coming~!"

"Hey, get back here!" Zoro yelled, though Sanji had already jumped back on the ship.

"Just let it go Zoro" Usopp counseled him. Zoro wasn't happy about it, but he decided it was best just to get back on the ship.

"Fine" Zoro commented as he followed the Sharp-Shooter "That cook is still going to get it when we reach the island…"

…

"Is she doing okay?" asked Usopp as all of them huddled around Nami's bed. Nami had informed them about Hikari's weird state and how sick she had gotten. Right now, she was panting lightly on the sheets, but she was much calmer and healthier than she was before.

"Yeah, she is" Nami replied as she checked the girl's forehead again. Her fever had gone down tremendously low. "Though I'm not real certain if her health is getting any worse, so we had better find that doctor"

"How much longer until we hit the island?" asked Sanji

"Not that long from now, we're going to dock the island very soon" Nami reported

"That's good" commented Sanji before lighting his smoke.

Just then, Lucia appeared into the entrance of the room she and Nami shared. However, Lucia looked real pale and she was trembling, as though she had seen a ghost…

"Lucia, are you okay?" questioned Nami when the girl made wouldn't move or say anything. She had never seen the girl so taken aback before, it was scaring her.

"Ummm…you guys…" Lucia replied. She seemed a bit worried, which took the crews attention off the sick girl. "You might want to come out on the deck…"

Hastily, the StrawHats followed the girl towards the deck, only to meet a huge number of islanders with guns and fishing knives aimed right at them.

"Freeze!" called out one of the islanders.

"Damn it" muttered Sanji "Today is just not our day…"

End Scene

The Straw hats have made it to the island, but now they have to deal with a bunch of defensive islanders. How will things go on from here?


End file.
